Farscape: Acts of Vengeance
by ScottLudwig
Summary: Despite not being able to use wormhole technology to destroy the Scarrans, Scorpius devises a new way to exact his revenge on them.


Farscape: Acts of Vengeance

by

Scott A. Ludwig

Chapter One

The galaxy had been wracked with wars and rumors of wars for what seemed to be ages. Peace was regarded as unachievable by any means aside from death and subjugation. With the signing of the peace treaty between the Scarrans and the Sebacean Peacekeepers, however, it marked the ending of what could have been a devastating war and the beginning of at least a temporary peace by two of the most powerful realms in this part of the known universe. The One Hundred Cycle Treaty that was crafted and overseen by the neutral Eidelons was a tentative one at best but it ensured the end of hostilities for the time being and eliminated the potential for the loss of life that could be in the billions, if not trillions, when it was all said and done.

While all parties that participated were generally pleased with the outcome, there were, of course, those with reservations. Star systems that had already been overrun were to be returned to their original empires or given back their independence. This gave politicians and military tacticians fits. They relented in the face of the fact that it was either this or nonexistence courtesy of the galaxy-swallowing black hole that the misplaced human astronaut, John Crichton, had created through the coveted wormhole technology weaponry. They secretly revelled, though, that this treaty would not last forever. For most of these cultures, war and conquering were part of every day life and if they had their way, it would be again.

After the formalities were concluded, the delegations of Scarrans and Peacekeepers began to return to their respective territories. Aboard the Peacekeeper Command Carrier, though, there were some unfinished internal affairs to be taken care of. The assassination of Grand Chancellor Marek, by his own wife Commandant Grayza, was one of them. Captain Bracca was given immediate charge of the Command Carrier while the investigation led to the suspicion and ultimate arrest of Commandant Grayza.

Scorpius, the sinister half Scarran and half Sebacean mixed breed, had come aboard quietly and gave counsel to Captain Bracca but for the most part stayed out of sight. The arrest of his old nemesis Grayza gave him some joy but not satisfaction. The time came for the official questioning of Grayza to which Scorpius volunteered. She was quite indignant and refused to cooperate until Scorpius threatened her with a trip to his infamous mind ripping Aurora Chair.

"Scorpius, you wouldn't dare," she hissed.

"My dear Grayza, not only do I dare, I insist," he said with a sadistic grin. "And I am going to enjoy this very much."

"Scorpius, I'm pregnant!" she insisted as she was hauled off to the Aurora Chair. "The child will not survive. You can not do this!"

"I fail to see the significance of whether an unborn fetus dies in relation to you telling us the truth about a crime that would ensure your own execution," Scorpius said as Grayza was being strapped into the chair.

"Scorpius, no! Alright I admit it! I killed Grand Chancellor Marek! Now, please release me!" Grayza pleaded as she struggled against the chair's restraints.

"I believe you'd admit to anything to avoid my Aurora Chair," he said and nodded to an assistant at the control panel. The machine powered to life with a dramatic high pitched whine.

"No!" she screamed as the power level was increased by Scorpius to a significantly high level.

The Aurora Chair overwhelmed Grayza as her pregnancy had physically weakened her. She fought in vain as the video screen of the Aurora Chair flickered on and showed her own memories of how she poisoned the Grand Chancellor with a drink that she had served him. Ultimately, it was too much for her to endure and she collapsed dead in the chair.

"Well, I guess she was right on both accounts. I'll make a note of it in her permanent record," Scorpius sneered.

Scorpius motioned to a nearby officer. "Lieutenant, please be sure to dispose of the carcass promptly. Also, one of our carniverous plant species in the botany lab may be in need of feeding. See to it, will you?" He grinned, baring his misshapen teeth.

Lieutenant Gortha glanced at Grayza's limp form and then back at Scorpius. "Understood, sir."

Scorpius patted him on the shoulder and walked away. The barest touches of a smile reached Lieutenant Gortha's mouth in a way it never had before. He was beginning to like Scorpius' style. He had heard about him but had never dealt with him until now. His reputation would appear to be well earned.

Out of the corner of Scorpius' eye, using his unique half breed natural ability, he caught a glimpse of Gorthas' energy signature. It stood out a bit from most of the others around him who almost cowered in Scorpius' presence. Scorpius took note of this – this man could be useful. Scorpius stopped in the doorway.

"Lieutenant, what is your name?"

"Gortha sir. Hiram Gortha."

"Carry on, Lieutenant Gortha," Scorpius said and turned to leave again. The lieutenant knew Scorpius was about to do some homework on him. He didn't know whether to be excited or nervous.

Captain Bracca was busily signing off on reports from a female officer when Scorpius approached him in his new office. Scorpius noted that all of the walls were now bare. Bracca had wasted no time in removing the personal items of the Grand Chancellor.

"Getting ready to redecorate, Captain?" asked Scorpius.

"It would appear to be a perk of the position. I've been awarded command of this Carrier group."

"Ah, so a promotion will soon be in order! Congratulations, Captain, or should I say 'Admiral'."

"Thank you, sir." Bracca still regarded Scorpius as his superior regardless of what rank he had. He paused briefly. "I have been in contact with the Council members and they have left your fate in my hands."

"Is that so? And, just what is my fate going to be 'Admiral'?" asked Scorpius knowingly. He knew Bracca would never turn on him.

"Whatever you would like it to be," smiled Bracca. "I would suggest, however, that you lay low for a while. Let the Council concern themselves with other matters."

"A wise suggestion, one that I will gladly adhere to. I will confine myself to my research projects – under your 'supervision', of course."

"I will inform the Council. I'm sure they will be pleased at you being 'monitored'." Bracca smiled as did Scorpius at being in on an inside joke. Bracca would never tell the Council what Scorpius may be up to. He respected him too much for that.

"Oh, one more thing. I request Lieutenant Gortha be transferred to assist me with my project."

"Of course, Scorpius. I'll order it right away."

Scorpius lightly grunted his approval, smiled, and left. Bracca watched him leave and sat down. Scorpius requesting specific personnel usually meant he was exploiting something.

Bracca was not familiar with this lieutenant but he was about to be. He brought up Gortha's personnel file and looked for anything that stood out. Above average scoring in some fields, average in others, only a couple of incidents in his younger days needing reprimand. Nothing really stood out. Then he noticed something. He had been a volunteer sign up as opposed to being born into service or conscripted. His parents had died in a border skirmish at the hands of the Scarrans.

Suddenly, Bracca knew his position just got a lot harder. He really would have to monitor Scorpius. His face took on a much harder look as he stared off into the air in front of him. If he guessed correctly, Scorpius was still bent on revenge on the Scarrans despite the peace treaty. He could be trouble. He realized though that Scorpius is a very patient man and he would bide his time if needed. Right now Scorpius had one hundred cycles worth of time on his side.

Scorpius was no procrastinator though and Bracca had to be ready when the time came. For now, he didn't have to worry. He simply had to get his Carrier group back to a more secure sector of Peacekeeper Territory. That and find someone to redecorate this room.

Scorpius looked around at his new living quarters and grimaced a little. Normally he would have access to more comfortable and spacious surroundings. With the new arrangement with Bracca, he was forced to downsize a bit in an effort to 'fly under the sensors' as it were. It was an acceptable circumstance and besides he had dealt with far worse in his youth. If his research provided the results he wanted, it would all be worth it. A chime at the door rang to which Scorpius responded

with an "Enter."

"Lieutenant Gortha reporting as ordered, sir."

"At ease, Lieutenant." He paused for a moment, looking over Gortha. "Do you know why I've sent for you, Lieutenant?"

"No, sir. Some sort of special assignment. I was not told any details."

"I see." Scorpius walked around the small quarters and casually fingered random small items left behind by its former occupant. "Let me ask you something, Gortha. What is your opinion about this new peace treaty that is in effect? Be honest. I seek only your genuine opinion."

"Truthfully, sir? I think it is useful only in respect to giving us more time to prepare a new weapon to use to defeat the Scarrans – once and for all." His face grew dark as he ended his statement. Scorpius could see the man's energy signature only get stronger as he spoke. Scorpius regarded him silently for a moment and circled behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder and then softly speaking to him.

"So would it be fair to say that it could be a means to a glorious end?"

Gortha held his stance but glanced sideways to catch Scorpius' eyes. He raised an eyebrow. "It could, sir. Did you have something in mind?"

"Well, if you are willing to assist me unconditionally, together we may be able to solve our little Scarran problem. I have been given special privilege to work on this project but I will need some assistance."

Gortha started to beam at this. He composed himself quickly though and stood back at attention. "I am at your disposal, sir."

"Excellent!" Scorpius patted him on the back. "Then clear your schedule, Lieutenant. We have a lot of work to do."

After the signing of the peace treaty, Commander John Crichton, former Peacekeeper Officer Aeryn Sun, and their new son D'Argo rested peacefully aboard the living bio mechanoid Leviathan ship, Moya. This was a nice change of pace from the war zone in which they had recently fought and survived. In little D'Argo's case, he had been born right in the middle of it, so this was the first tranquil period of his short lifetime. They, as well as their companions Stark, Chiana, Noranti, and Dominar Rygel the Sixteenth, were free to go and do as they pleased. It was naturally a pleasant feeling considering all that they had recently been through: war, pursuit, and torture to name just a few.

They held a memorial to honor those they recently lost. Both of their friends Jool and Ka D'Argo (little D'Argo's namesake) were lost during attacks by the Scarrans in their conflict with the Peacekeepers. They prayed that their lives were not lost in vain and that their souls would find peace with this new resolution. Afterwards, they turned their attention to their next destinations. Sitting around the dining table, they chatted about where they were heading as they ate.

"So, you're all headed for Hyneria?" asked John as he munched on a vegetable stick. It looked like a carrot but tasted vaguely like a tomato. Stray thoughts of making some version of pasta sauce came to John's mind.

"Yes," said Rygel. "I, of course, will be assuming my rightful place upon the royal throne as Dominar now that Bishan is abdicating." His diminuitive, green, frog-like appearance did not detract from his authoratarian stature.

"I'm going to try and help his people with the recovery effort," said Stark the Stykeran Banek. "We've heard there's been rioting and death." While looking like a common humanoid traveller, he still stood out with his form fitting mask covering the right half of his face. While it did hide a slight disfigurement to his face, it actually helped him control some special energies at his disposal.

"Rygel has asked me to be his personal chef and attendant," said Noranti the three eyed Traskan. She always seemed to have the look of a discheveled witch doctor according to John. "We'll have to put together something wonderful for the coronation ceremony. I know – Yuganian Moon Pudding! That should go well with boiled Kervan tentacles in brain sauce..." she trailed off as she visualized the future feast.

"What about you Chiana?" asked Aeryn as she tried to eat while holding little D'Argo in her lap.

"As a matter of fact," Chiana the bluish-grey Nebari replied, "Rygel wants me to head his Entertainment Committee for the coronation!" Her youthful excitement contrasted with her street smarts and sexuality.

John leaned in and spoke under his breath to Rygel.

"You do realize that most of your 'entertainers' will probably be prostitutes, right?"

"Know it? I'm counting on it!" Rygel laughed.

"What about the three of you?" asked Stark. "Are you staying on Moya?"

"Actually, we've decided to settle for a while on the Royal Planet of the Breakaway Colonies for a while until D'Argo gets bigger," said Aeryn.

"Yeah, I've got a standing invitation from the Empress after we wrapped up business when we were there a while back," said Crichton as he continued munching. "Call it one of the perks of saving their collective heinies."

"You will, of course, make time to join us for the coronation," said Rygel as he finished a plate of fried crolak skins.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, Dominar," said John.

"Hey, what's going to happen with Moya and Pilot?" asked Chiana as she licked the remnants of a powdery item from her fingers.

Pilot's image appeared on the clamshell shaped video screen on the wall. John had gotten used to a talking, giant, crablike creature years ago. In fact, he and the multi-armed Pilot were good friends.

"After we drop everyone off to their respective locations, Moya and I have decided to take some time to further plot the Uncharted Territories," answered Pilot. "We will, of course, be watching the ceremonies on Hyneria before we leave, Chiana."

"We'll miss you, Pilot," said Chiana a little preemptively.

"As we will miss you all," said Pilot. "We will be sure to return and visit periodically."

"Well, let's save the tearful goodbyes for later. We haven't even packed yet," said John.

Moya and Pilot finally reached the Royal Planet a few days later to drop off John, Aeryn, and D'Argo. They said their goodbyes and the three of them departed for the planet surface while the rest continued on to Rygel's home planet of Hyneria.

The Empress had indeed provided them with a place to call their own. It was outside of the city limits to provide some privacy and a quiet atmosphere. The building was big enough but it needed some work. It would definitely give John and Aeryn something to do.

"Whoa, talk about your fixer-upper," said John as he crumbled a piece of a counter top in his hands.

"Well, this is a real piece of dren," said Aeryn. "I thought they owed you a favor or something like that."

"Hey, I was happy with the fact that Scorpius is never allowed to set foot here again. I call this icing on the cake."

"Well, we better get started. Where do you think we should set up the armory?" said Aeryn as she wandered around to look.

"Ha, ha, ha," John laughed. "Hey, wait you're serious aren't you?"

Scorpius had a largely unused medical bay transformed into a small research lab in short order. He didn't really need a lot to work with. As long as his work gave him the results he wanted, he could always transfer it to a much larger testing area. For now, he was working at the microscopic level and only needed to record his progress and encrypt it for his eyes only. He transferred data that he had been safeguarding from a data chip he removed from Moya to the new console. He looked at the graphic information that had been taken from certain energy wave signatures. Scorpius caught a glimpse of Gortha entering the far end of the room but kept concentrated on the energy wave patterns.

"I submitted your request for the trace element samples, sir. They should be here in a couple of arns." Gortha noticed the screen display. "What the Hezmana is that?" he asked intrigued.

"That," Scorpius replied, "is exactly what we're going to find out. Tell me, Lieutenant, do we still have any Scarran prisoners aboard?"

"I believe there is one in the Med bay and one in a holding cell, sir."

"Go to the holding cell and 'request' a blood and tissue sample from the Scarran. If he doesn't give it to you willingly, well, convince him it would be the smart thing to do."

"Yes, sir. My pleasure, sir." Gortha got a little too enthused for Scorpius' liking but it would help to cement his allegiance he determined. A half an arn later, Gortha had returned with a vial of blood and a chunk of flesh. He looked a bit beat up, though.

"Here are your samples, sir," said Gortha as he handed them to Scorpius. Scorpius looked a little amused at the sight of the beaten up Peacekeeper.

"Gave you a bit of trouble did he, Lieutenant?" he asked with a slight grin.

"Three guards in the infirmary and one in the critical ward but we did manage to 'convince' him, sir."

"Be sure to thank them for me for their efforts. That will be all for today, Lieutenant. Report back in the morning when you are able," said Scorpius as he looked over the samples.

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," said Gortha and left. He went to a recovery center for a pain treatment as he had taken a couple of hard hits from the large reptilian Scarran in the holding cell. He didn't want anything keeping him from reporting to Scorpius the next day.

Gortha awoke early and surprisingly refreshed the next morning. He was eager to see what Scorpius was working on. He dressed quickly and walked briskly to Scorpius' lab. Scorpius was already at work.

"Good morning, Lieutenant. Let's get started, shall we? First, here is a specially coded ident chip for you to access the terminal. Carry this with you at all times." He placed the ident chip in Gortha's hand.

"Thank you, sir." He pocketed the chip and motioned toward the console with his hand. "What exactly are we doing?"

"At the moment, you are going to assist me in modifying this energy wave focuser to facilitate the addition of various radioactive element combinations."

Gortha looked at the items laid out on the lab table and surmised what Scorpius may be up to.

"So, we'll be trying to duplicate the energy wave patterns that I saw yesterday. Am I correct to assume we'll be testing that pattern on the Scarran samples, sir?"

"A very good assumption indeed. A short time ago, I witnessed something very intriguing that may provide us with the edge we Peacekeepers need versus the Scarrans. But first we need to duplicate that pattern or it is all meaningless." Scorpius paused for a moment.

"I know the wave's potential but I do not know its source. That is our task: find the proper combination and then amplify it. It will be tedious work but it will be worth it in the end."

Gortha smiled. He had never been so excited to do tedious work in his life.

Chapter Two

Bracca had busied himself the past quarter cycle with getting familiar with his new position. He had managed to even squeeze in a couple of days off. He had everything under control and Scorpius had indeed laid low. In fact, he was scarcely seen by anyone. He had heard that Lieutenant Gortha had been running errands for him but nothing out of the ordinary. A few odd items in small quantities but well within reason. He decided to give his old mentor a visit as part of his 'monitoring'. Scorpius was exiting the lab as Bracca was about to enter.

"Ah, Scorpius, I was just coming to see you. You look well. How is your research going?" he asked with a smile.

"I am doing fine, Admiral. You appear no worse for wear with your new command," he replied engaging in the obligatory small talk.

"A bit hectic at times but I've adjusted," Bracca said. He peered curiously over Scorpius' shoulder. "Do you mind if I have a look around?"

Scorpius caught his eye noting the general curiosity of Bracca. "Not at all, Admiral. Be my guest but I request that you disturb nothing. I wouldn't want any stray variables added to the equation, as it were."

"Of course, I'll just be a few microts," Bracca replied as he wandered in and casually wiped a finger over the console as if to check for dust during an inspection. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked casually around the room. Lieutenant Gortha was propped up on a stool in the corner sleeping. It would appear Scorpius had been working him hours on end. Was it willingly on Gortha's behalf, he wondered.

Scorpius nodded and left for whatever destination he intended. Bracca didn't know and didn't really care. He knew, however, that he didn't have much time to find out what may be going on. Scorpius would not be gone long enough to involve a detailed search.

Bracca noticed an interesting device that looked familiar but had definitely been modified. He casually picked it up and set it back down. Lieutenant Gortha moaned in his sleep briefly and moved just enough for Bracca to notice the strange looking ident chip hanging from a chain in his hand. Surely something Scorpius had made, he thought.

He decided to be bold and carefully removed the ident chip and chain from Gortha's hand. He quietly plugged it into a port that made the console whir softly to life. He glanced over his shoulder to ensure that Gortha had not awakened. Gortha started to snore softly. He appeared to be safe for the moment. Bracca perused the files quickly and took note of the tissue exposure information that appeared.

"Total cellular disruption," he said softly but was interrupted by Gortha starting to fall of his stool and waking up suddenly. Gortha caught himself before he hit the floor. He wiped his face with his hand and tried to clear the cobwebs.

Bracca had quickly pulled the ident chip from the console and bent down to assist Gortha as he slipped. He feigned picking up the ident chip and chain from the floor.

"Easy, Lieutenant. Here, you appeared to have dropped this," Bracca said casually and handed him his ident chip.

"Oh, thank you, sir. Sorry, sir. I must've nodded off," he apologized and tried to come to attention.

"As you were, Lieutenant. Scorpius has been keeping you busy?" he asked and winked with a smile.

"Very busy, sir. I don't mind though. It's interesting work."

"I'm sure it is. So, how do you like working with Scorpius?"

"Best assignment I've ever had, sir. He is a unique individual."

"That he is, Lieutenant. I'm glad you're enjoying your assignment."

Scorpius returned with what looked like a couple of beverages from the lounge.

"Ah, you're back," said Bracca as Scorpius approached. "Well, everything looks in order. So, I'll leave you two to resume your work." Bracca left nonchalantly as Scorpius observed him leaving.

Scorpius nodded to Bracca and replied "Thank you. I'm sure the Council will be pleased."

Scorpius handed a drink to Gortha. "Did you have a nice chat with the Admiral?" he inquired.

Gortha was still trying to clear his head. He took the glass from Scorpius and looked in it. "Oh, he was just asking me how I liked working with you, sir."

Scorpius took note of Gortha's personal energy signature not wavering at all. He was being truthful.

"I see. And just how do you like working with me, Gortha?" he asked with a mischievous look.

"Fascinating, sir. I wouldn't trade it for any other assignment."

"Excellent! Well then, a toast to our continued fascinating endeavors." He and Gortha took a swallow of the murky looking fluid that was in the glasses. It tasted a bit fruity with what could only be described as a hint of meat.

"Also, a toast to the next phase of our research," added Scorpius. They both took another gulp from their glasses.

"What is the next phase, sir? Wave amplification?"

"Yes, now that we've isolated the proper components, we need to be able to test on a much larger scale than what this lab will allow."

"What do you suggest?" asked Gortha.

"Leave the details of that to me. In the meantime, why don't you take leave for a couple of days. Rest up but be ready for the next time I summon you. For the time being, you are dismissed."

"Yes, sir. I look forward to it, sir," answered Gortha as he snapped to attention and then left for his own quarters.

Scorpius watched the lieutenant leave and then inserted his own specially coded chip into the console. It hummed to life once again. Scorpius glanced at it briefly and sat down. He knew Bracca had managed to get a look at his work. 'How' did not matter. The question was more to do with what would he do with the information.

He reasoned Bracca knew his results of some testing but not what Scorpius had intended to do with it. Until Bracca knew what his goal was, Bracca would not do anything. Bracca may even embrace it and assist in its implementation. The two of them had been through a lot together and Bracca had always been faithful. Would his new rank change his perspective? That remained to be seen. For now, Scorpius leaned back and pondered his next move. He sat in silence and grinned in satisfaction.

Bracca didn't know when Scorpius would eventually approach him and start asking him for things but he knew it would definitely happen. That day finally arrived and Bracca braced himself mentally for it. Scorpius had such an imposing presence but he shouldn't just let him have everything he wanted. He had to be prepared to knock Scorpius back a bit. He was an Admiral after all. His position alone demanded it. He also still had to report to the Council. He had to weigh all of this against staying on Scorpius' good side. He decided to gamble and try to make the best of it. Hopefully, Scorpius would play along.

Scorpius arrived alone. His demeanor was casual but matter of fact.

"Hello, Scorpius. Good to see you again. In what way can I assist you?" Bracca said not wavering and fairly genuinely. He remained seated at his desk.

Scorpius noted that this was one of the only times Bracca did not call him 'sir'. Normally this would not bother him since he did not have an active rank and Bracca was, after all, an Admiral. For some reason, though, this disturbed him, as if maybe, just maybe, his grip on Bracca was slipping.

"I will get straight to the point, Admiral," Scorpius began. "I have a substantial request but I do not believe it is anything difficult to achieve."

"You wish more resources for your project," said Bracca as he stood up.

"How ever did you guess?" Scorpius joked.

"Granted," said Bracca.

"You don't even know what it is that I want yet."

"Does it really matter, Scorpius? You know as well as I do that you will find a way to accomplish your task whether I help you directly or not. I will be honest with you, Scorpius. I approve of what you're doing, or at least the path you're on and I will do what I can to accommodate you. I still have to answer to the Council, though, as they haven't forgotten about you."

"Well, then, let's see if they can 'forget' about me, at least for a while. Out of sight, out of mind, eh, Bracca? There is a small planetoid in the next star system where I can continue my research. I will need Lieutenant Gortha to accompany me as well as a Marauder Patrol. Nothing special, just some men with nothing better to do that wouldn't mind 'keeping an eye on me'."

"That sounds acceptable. I can arrange for a transport pod for your lab equipment and we'll schedule quarterly supply runs. Anything else?" added Bracca.

Scorpius was pleased with the arrangements and responded "No, that will do for now. Thank you for your assistance, Admiral."

They gave each other a courtesy nod and Scorpius left. Scorpius thought about what had transpired as he walked back to his quarters. It actually came as no surprise that Bracca admitted that he knew of Scorpius' work. Still, he wondered if Bracca was holding anything back. It could just be Bracca fitting in to his new position. After all, he had earned it. He realized that while Bracca would appear to no longer be his 'yes' man, he was still a valuable ally being in such a high position.

Bracca sat down relieved that his meeting was over. It had gone better than expected. He didn't want Scorpius as an enemy and he also didn't want him being a distraction. The planetoid relocation appeared to be a perfect solution. He knew he would still have to keep tabs on him but at least he could do it from a distance. He started making out the orders for Scorpius' requests. He would soon be able to breathe a little easier.

Chapter Three

The planetoid proved to be habitable but not by much. Breathable air and drinking water were plentiful but very few animal or plant species occupied this place. It was perfect for the solitude Scorpius needed and devoid of potential interruptions. Scorpius and Gortha set to work reconstructing their lab area and recruited the four Marauder officers for general labor. The officers had been instructed by Bracca to follow Scorpius' orders without question and that they would be rewarded nicely when the assignment ended. They weren't necessarily protecting Scorpius but rather protecting what he was doing. Bracca felt this would ensure them taking this more seriously than just a simple babysitting job.

After setting up outdoor sensor arrays along with a power supply rerouted from the transport pod, one of the officers decided to ask Scorpius something that they had all been thinking but never voiced out loud.

"Sir, wouldn't this assignment have been more suitable for some techs instead of a Marauder patrol? This isn't exactly our expertise."

"Officer Renna, isn't it?" said Scorpius. "I'm assuming you were hoping this would be a little more exciting that it is. Well, I promise you I have something a little more fun in store for you. In fact, gather the rest of your squad. I want you to plan a rescue mission for a Scarran prisoner, or rather a jailbreak. Call it what you will but I want you to bring him to me for some 'volunteer work'."

"Yes, sir!" Officer Renna replied with a bit of a surprised expression. Scorpius grinned another sly grin knowing what he had in store for the unsuspecting Scarran prisoner.

Renna gathered the other three officers – Smeetha, Henti, and Frenk – and informed them of their next task. It was met with raised eyebrows and curious looks.

"Does this Scorpius fellow know what he's asking? It doesn't make a bit of sense," said Smeetha in a hushed voice.

"Yeah," chimed in Henti, "if he's doing experimental work on the Scarran, why not requisition it like anyone else?"

"Because all of the prisoners are to be exhanged from the terms of the peace treaty. If he escapes in the meantime, then we can't give them what we haven't got. If he gets free, they'll have to tell the Scarrans we don't have him. No one will know where he is – except us," answered Frenk.

"So, we have to free him and then recapture him?" asked Henti sounding a bit confused.

"No. I figure if we can fake some transfer orders and then report him later having escaped, we can return here with him and no one is any wiser," explained Renna. "We just have to find a location that we can fool easily or maybe muscle our way through." Renna peripherally caught Frenk and Smeetha subtly rollling their eyes at Henti. He always was a bit dense, they thought. It was a good thing he was good with a pulse rifle.

"Objections? Suggestions?" asked Renna to the group after he gave Henti a moment to absorb the information. All three officers shook their heads 'no'.

"Alright then, I'll find our target and get that part arranged. You three get your gear ready. We're likely to head out at first light tomorrow." Renna dismissed them and they departed to prepare for the next day.

Renna went to the the communications console in the Maruader and started looking for targets using the Prisoner Information Network. He was able to locate an old mining facility that was being used as a temporary prisoner hold. One Scarran was recently listed as being medically fit for transport. Perfect. If all went well, they'd be back in about ten solar days with Scorpius' assumed test subject.

The information on the mining facility was sketchy but it showed to be minimum security. If there were any problems, they should be able to shoot their way out. It felt a little weird to Renna, though, about the possibility of having to shoot fellow Peacekeepers for the sake of an experiment. He was hoping it wouldn't come to that. The four Marauder officers departed the next day for their target.

Scorpius and Gortha started making modifications to the transport pod to channel the rest of the engine's energy supply through the larger model of the wave generator that had finished being assembled. They would be set up in time for the arrival of the Scarran. A thought occurred to Gortha to which he voiced to Scorpius.

"Sir, are we just getting the one Scarran?"

"Yes, Lieutenant, that is all we will be needing."

"Sir, if he dies during the trials, then we will not have any other test subjects."

Scorpius shot him a mischievous look. "There are always test subjects, Lieutenant."

Gotha's hair suddenly stood on end and he gulped a bit hard. "Sir, if we have no more test subjects, then our stay here will likely be a short one."

"That's my intention, Lieutenant. You see the Powers That Be know that you can't rush good research. However, I have prided myself on being a bit of an overachiever. They will not be back to check on us for another ninety solar days and we will be on our way to Phase Three by then. It's not our fault if they have underestimated our progress."

"Phase Three, sir?"

"Yes, if my suspicions are correct, we will be able to achieve the wave amplification results we desire but at a great power cost. It will be necessary to procure a much greater power source and it needs to be mobile."

"Like a Command Carrier, sir?"

"A bit impractical at the moment, don't you think? No, I have something else in mind. For now, though, let's focus on the task at hand."

The Marauder patrol had a four solar day journey to the Illantra star system. It was an undeveloped system biologically – mostly uninhabited giants rocks in space orbiting a dim star. It would have been ignored altogether by the Peacekeepers if not for the large mineral deposits that were discovered many cycles ago. Aside from a couple of minor deposits still being mined, it was a largely empty and unused facility. It did make for a handy drop off point for prisoner transfers in this sector of space but it still had remarkably little traffic. Rumor had it that they were getting ready to abandon the mine once the remaing mineral deposits were removed. This was evidenced by the lower and lower troop presence and only a handful of prisoners at any one time. This had the markings for easy pickings if Renna had his wish.

The Marauder landed and the four disembarked. They wasted no time getting to the prisoner transfer office. It was really nothing more than a clerk's station at the entrance to a mine processing building. The prisoners were usually chained inside make shift cells within the building. One or two guards would patrol the area inside and the same for the outside.

Renna and his men approached the desk. Renna decided to play it cool.

"I have orders for your Scarran prisoner's transfer to our custody," he said as he handed the electronic orders tablet to the clerk. The clerk was a young fellow, probably posted here for having stepped on some captain's toes.

"Really? We weren't expecting anything for at least another thirty solar days," the clerk responded as he looked at the orders.

"I guess they're trying to expedite things for the peace treaty. You know how it is," Renna replied and shrugged with an indifferent grin.

The clerk looked over the orders and smiled a weak smile.

"Is this some sort of joke? I mean, I've seen some fake orders before but really this is ..." He stopped as Renna and his men pointed their pulse rifles at his head.

"Are these good enough orders for you?"

The clerk raised his hands after setting down the tablet.

"Uh, yeah, those are great orders!" he said wide-eyed.

"Now either your Scarran friend down the hall comes with us, or you do, got it?" Renna briefly looked around for any of the guards. None were in sight.

"No, no, that, uh, that will be just fine, because you see, uh, as much as I would love to go with you, I, uh, I've simply used up all my holiday time, and besides, no one, uh, no one would be around to answer the comm system, so, uh, you know how it is," he stammered and slowly eased his way around the desk. "It's just down this way," he continued and headed down the hallway.

The five of them reached the cell and the clerk opened the door.

"Watch the hallway," Renna said to Smeetha. "You two help with the Scarran," he directed to Henti and Frenk and motioned towards the prisoner.

The clerk disconnected the chains from the floor and ceiling with a small electronic device from his pocket.

"Where did you get this one from anyway?" asked Frenk.

"I am a merchant. I was travelling to the Uncharted Territories to barter goods when I was attacked by the Peacekeepers," the Scarran growled.

Renna looked him over for a moment and decided that he was probably telling the truth. A somewhat weathered but colorful and ornate vest hung from the Scarran's body. It wasn't exactly typical Scarran gear. The shiny, green, almost silky cloth gleamed with golden circular patterns. It almost looked Hynerian.

"Enough chat. Let's go," said Renna as they finished freeing the prisoner form the chains and securing him with wrist cuffs. They headed down the hall still with no guards in sight. They reached the office and the clerk stammered out a question.

"Ok. Now, uh, should someone ask about the, uh, prisoner, what would you like me to tell them?" he groveled slightly bent over and hands clasped.

"He slipped away after having beaten the Hezmana out of you," said Renna.

"Oh, yes, yes, that's right. Now I remember, quite a beating I took. Well, I'll be sure to detail my injuries in my report. Ok, well, I can see you're in a bit of a hurry so, uh farewell, and safe journies," the clerk said and backed his way into his office and closed the door.

The Marauder officers, with their Scarran in tow, headed for their ship without further incident, only pausing long enough to acknowledge the salute of the guard on the outside that had circled back around the perimeter.

Back inside the building, the security officer that should've been somewhere nearby finally came to the office door and entered.

"Hey, Bob, where's the ..." he said and gestured with his thumb toward the empty cell. "Are you all right? You look like you've seen your old captain again."

"Where the Hezmana have you been?" the clerk asked frantically as he straighted up.

"The door to the urinals is on the blink again and I had to go around back."

"Nevermind that. Just go get Sam and hurry back. We've got a report to fake," he said disgustedly.

The Marauder patrol arrived back at the planetoid six solar days after having taken the time to change course and use an altered flight plan. Even though there was virtually no chance of anyone coming after them from the mining facility, Renna thought it was wise not to take that chance.

After landing, they departed the spacecraft and immediately brought the Scarran to Scorpius. Scorpius appeared to be waiting for them.

"Welcome back, Mr. Renna. You and your men were successful, it appears."

"Yes, sir. He is in perfect health and hopefully suits your needs."

"Thank you, Mr. Renna. If you and your men would be so kind as to escort the prisoner to the testing area, we'll get started."

"Yes, sir," Renna answered and prodded the Scarran with his pulse rifle. The other three Maruader officers followed.

Renna noted that the layout had changed a bit since he left. Over by the transport pod was a control panel center that had been secured behind some of the heat shielding from the transport pod. He also noted that a couple of the engine's heat dispersal units had been taken from the ship and positioned to be directed right at the experiment's target.

As Renna and his men secured the Scarran to the metal posts that stood in the middle of the area, Scorpius and Gortha took position behind the improvised safety screen and powered up the console. The console, wave generator, sensors, and heat units all hummed to life. Renna was confused. Why would he use heat on the Scarran?

"Sir, the heat units – aren't they a bit self defeating? I mean, obviously, Scarrans love the heat."

"Yes, Renna they do. As I'm sure you're also aware that Sebacians DO NOT," growled Scorpius and activated the heat units.

The intense heat immediately dropped all four of the Marauder patrol to their knees in agony as Scorpius and Gortha hid behind the protective screen. They all cried out and tried to fire their pulse rifles at Scorpius as they hit the ground. Several shots hit the screen but deflected harmlessly away. The shooting and shouting ended and Scorpius turned off the control. The Scarran still stood there and was looking around wildly. The heat had indeed energized him and he began to try to break his restraints.

"What is going on?" asked the suddenly very confused Scarran. "I don't understand!"

Scorpius looked at the readouts on his panel on the Scarran. "Now, Gortha," he said and signaled for Gortha to activate his controls. Gortha fired the wave generator at the Scarran. As expected, the Scarran died very quickly. Scorpius looked quite satisfied at the initial results.

"Congratulations, sir, it worked perfectly," said Gortha. "Even with the excessive bio-energy from the heat, he succumbed easily."

Gortha glanced over at the now dead Peacekeepers. "If I may ask, sir, why the Peacekeepers?"

"They no longer served a purpose, Lieutenant, and could have easily become a liability," replied Scorpius as he continued checking monitor readings. He then gave Gortha a sideways glance. "Do you take issue with that?"

"No, sir," said Gortha quickly.

"Good. Now we are on to our next task. Begin gathering the remaining supplies and load up the Marauder. I will join you shortly."

"Yes, Sir," answered Gortha and moved on to the inside of the transport pod.

Scorpius waited until Gortha left and walked over to the Scarran. The readout on his display had shown that although the Scarran died as expected, certain areas had not exhibited the cellular disruption that they should have. He examined underneath the vest and in fact certain areas close to the material appeared to be unaffected. It was still living tissue, albeit not for long since there was nothing else alive to sustain it.

"Well, now, that was certainly unexpected. This could indeed be useful," he said and wadded up the material in his hand. As Scorpius took the Scarran's vest to the Marauder, he failed to notice that Gortha had paused long enough from gathering supplies to watch Scorpius. He grabbed an armload of items and casually dropped a container by the testing readout panel. He glanced quickly at the readout and then bent down to get his dropped container. He walked in silence with his armload of supplies and started thinking about what he had observed. If the information was not misleading, then the material the Scarran was wearing or something in it seemed to deflect the radiation wave. It only appeared to be somewhat effective, possibly due to damage from the extreme heat that it had recently been exposed to. Still, it was effective. He wondered what Scorpius would do with the information.

Gortha and Scorpius finished disassembling the equipment they would need and loaded it in the Marauder with the rest of the supplies. They left the transport pod and the bodies behind along with a communications beacon that would activate a message indicating that there had been a terrible accident. Scorpius and Gortha would be in contact when they had relocated to a suitable place, it concluded.

Of course, Scorpius had no intention of contacting anybody until absolutely necessary. He would let the carnage he intended to leave behind speak volumes for him.

Chapter Four

Once aboard the Marauder, Scorpius had Gortha set course for the Relforth Shipyard, a Peacekeeper ship refitting station near the Uncharted Territories. Gortha wondered what was in store for them there since refitting the Marauder seemed implausible for what Scorpius seemed to have in mind. He didn't bother to ask, thinking better of it.

During their trip, which lasted several solar days, Scorpius and Gortha operated in near silence. Gortha maintained ship operations while Scorpius was occupied with his project research. At one point, he noticed Scorpius quietly took a piece of the Scarran vest fabric and ran it through a hand held analyzer. Scorpius then busied himself with his on ship console for what appeared to be general information gathering.

Scorpius eventually found what he was looking for. The vest was indeed Hynerian made. The material was produced by the Klekarvia silkworm. The worm, while not particularly tasty to Hynerians, provided a fiber source from its web and coccoon, which was spun into garments that were known to disperse certain forms of solar radiation. After much research, Scorpius determined that a residual element that was present in the fiber, kerellium, was responsible for this effect and actually helped give the material some of its shiny look.

Scorpius played a hunch and modified the analyzer to extract some of the kerellium from the outfit to be tested with the small version of the radiation wave generator. It deflected the wave completely. Scorpius let out a low astonished growl.

Gortha heard this up in the front of the Marauder.

"Everything all right, sir?"

Scorpius got up from his station and casually moved up front.

"Just fine, Lieutenant. You'll have to pardon me. Sometimes I let my enthusiasm get the best of me. How soon before arrival?" Scorpius asked, changing the subject.

"We should be there in a few arns, sir."

"Excellent. Notify me when we're on final approach," Scorpius said and patted Gortha's shoulder. Scorpius returned to his station and sat quietly for some time before resuming his work.

Gortha was dying to find out what had gotten such a response out of Scorpius, who generally showed little genuine emotion. He had to be careful, though. If it looked like he was being too intrusive, Scorpius would likely dispose of him like he did the Marauder patrol. He suddenly relished the fact that the Aurora Chair was nowhere nearby. That thing made what the patrol went through look like a pleasant night on the town. He would have to wait.

The Marauder was soon at the shipyard. The shipyard actually orbited the large industrial planet Lorren, where materials were manufactured and then transported to the shipyard for assembly. It was a busy planet and a Marauder arriving there would barely stir any notice. They landed and headed for one of the order processing stations. Scorpius looked around and found the man he was looking for – a short, spectacled, balding man who was poring over some diagrams and drinking a beverage.

"Why, hello, Mr. Minosh! Good to see you again," Scorpius began. Minosh turned and involuntarily spit-sprayed some of his drink to the side.

"Scorpius!" he exclaimed softly as he tried to regain his composure. He wiped off one of the diagrams with his hand and then on his trousers.

"Mr. Minosh, I do hope you're not too terribly busy. You see, I have a special request for you that is of great importance to me."

"Oh, yes, yes, of course," he smiled while trying to keep from shaking.

"In orbit, there is a Leviathan that was scheduled to be decomissioned and freed from its control collar. There is going to be a change of plans." Scorpius handed Minosh an information chip. "This is a set of modifications that I need in place in short order."

Minosh plugged the chip into the console. After logging his passcodes in, he looked at the plans. It was strange. It definitely looked like an experimental weapon to him but for all he knew all it would do is cook large quantities of Saurellian bacon.

"Hmmm. Interesting. What does it do exactly?" Minosh asked.

"That is of no concern. All I need to know is, can you do it and how long will it take?"

"It can be done, sir, but for something of this size it will be all of ninety solar days."

"You have sixty," Scorpius said matter of factly. Minosh's mouth opened to protest but quickly closed it.

"Of course, sir."

Scorpius leaned in.

"Good man. Oh and Minosh, I was never here."

Minosh gulped and shook his head vigorously, not knowing what else to say. Scorpius and Gortha left Minosh to his business and went outside.

"It looks like we have some time to kill, sir," said Gortha. He barely was able to hide his mirth of watching Scorpius push someone around so easily. His reputation must be galaxy wide, he thought.

"You and I are going to be killing time on a related project," said Scorpius. "Since I am too recognizable here, I need you to run some errands for me."

Minosh started laying out the plans for Scorpius' refit of the Leviathan. It was an interesting setup. Scorpius was intending to bleed starburst power from the Leviathan's pool of bio-energy into large capacity batteries which would be able to power on command the oversized radiation wave generator mounted on the front of the ship. That was a lot of overkill for a bacon cooker, he thought. It had a directional dispersal pattern but it would be able to hold a sustained wave at short distance for a long time and alternately be capable of a long range burst detonation. It didn't make a lot of sense but he didn't get paid to make sense of it and Scorpius always paid well. Minosh also noted a set of plans for some new body armor infused with kerellium. So now he wanted shinier body armor? Minosh shook his head. At least this part would be less time consuming.

After a prolonged search and using Scorpius' credits, Gortha returned to Minosh's office with a couple of large containers.

One contained a large amount of the kerellium element and the other had material to make some of the body armor that the higher ranking officers would occasionally wear. It was similar to what Scorpius currently donned.

"These are from Scorpius. He said you would know what to do with them," said Gortha. He was wondering what sort of response he would get from Minosh. Minosh recognized him right away even though Scorpius had previously held his gaze most of the time while there.

Minosh seemed a lot more at ease with him. Probably because of the lack of Scorpius' presence, Gortha thought. Minosh looked at the contents of the containers.

"Ah, yes, the Shiny Armor Project."

"Shiny Armor?"

"Oh, yes. This kerellium is usually found in certain silkworms of Hyneria. Makes their outfits look shiny. He wants to blend it with some body armor."

"Really? Well, I suppose we can't fault Scorpius for trying to be fashionable, eh?" Gortha said with a wink.

"Oh, he'll look positively radiant. Inform Scorpius that it will take seven solar days to infuse and cure. You can pick it up after that."

Gortha left Minosh and headed for an available nearby console to look up information on kerellium. He didn't really believe Scorpius was just trying to look good while defeating the Scarrans. He figured this definitely had something to do with the Scarran vest in relation to the radiation wave.

A quick search gave him an answer to reason with. The deflection of solar radiation varieties came up as it had for Scorpius. With Scorpius being half Scarran, the radiation wave must pose a serious risk to him, too. The kerellium must be deflecting the radiation wave and Scorpius is using it to protect himself. Why hadn't Scorpius mentioned this though? Did he not trust him? He could have easily joined in the assault the Marauder officers started when Scorpius turned on them. That surely should have shown his loyalty. Maybe Scorpius was testing him, but to what end?

A week later, Gortha picked up the container with the new suit in it. Scorpius opened it up and held the body of the suit up in the light. The armor was still a shiny black but now had what looked like a billion little reflective sparkles on the surface.

"Well, this is certain to turn a few heads, isn't it?" Scorpius commented.

"You'll be the hit of the Peacekeeper Ball, sir," Gortha joked.

"Well, now, I suppose I should try it on. I will call for you shortly. Stand guard outside and let no one in."

"Understood, sir." Gortha located his pulse rifle and exited the Marauder.

Scorpius removed his armored outfit and put on the new one. It was a little uncomfortable at first but it would break in easily enough. Scorpius summoned Gortha and stood with arms spread.

"Well, what do you think?" grinned Scorpius.

"It definitely catches the eye, sir," answered Gortha. He decided to take a chance and make a revealing statement. "As long as it works as intended, sir."

"Oh? And just what would you say that intention was, Gortha?" asked Scorpius with a bit of a raised eyebrow.

"Deflection of the KAmBER wave, sir. You are half Scarran after all." Scorpius had assigned the acronym KAmBER, which was short for Kalish Amplified Body Energy Radiation to the wave. It was both explanatory to its origin and, as Scorpius put it, it rolled right off his mixed breed tongue.

"You've been doing your homework, Lieutenant. Well done," Scorpius said. "To reward your efforts, I am granting you the opportunity to shoot your boss."

"Sir?"

"The KAmBER wave, Lieutenant. I want you to test the wave on the suit with me in it. It's the only true way to be sure. We'll start with small doses and work up from there."

The lieutenant set up the small wave generator and readied it to use against Scorpius. It was at this point he saw Scorpius slide into place the new component to the suit, a clear yet glistening facemask that was attached to his headgear. A wise decision, thought Gortha. You wouldn't want the rest of your body protected only to have your face and brain destroyed. He shuddered at the thought of what that might look like in Scorpius' case.

They tested various areas of the suit with the wave generator to Scorpius' satisfaction. They stopped and Gortha monitored readings from Scorpius to see if anything had been affected. Gortha continued periodic readings but so far it worked perfectly. The following day, they took the Marauder to a remote area of the planet and set up the equipment for using the larger version of the wave generator. Again they used the same tactics: lower level output at first until they hit full power. Once again, the armor worked as designed.

"Sir, you have been putting yourself at great risk," said Gortha as he monitored Scorpius' bio readings.

"I appreciate your concern, Lieutenant, even as belated as it may be," Scorpius said sarcastically, "but it's for the good of the project."

Scorpius looked at Gortha in the eyes.

"With great risk can come great reward and I am very much looking forward to that."

They did more tests checking the integrity of the armor. There were no signs of degradation and Scorpius felt fine with no physical anomalies being shown. Scorpius was immensely pleased. He would be able to carry out his acts of vengeance with no risk of exposure to himself. They began disassembling the equipment and stored it once again in the Marauder.

Once they finished, they entered the Marauder. Scorpius went to a storage locker and brought out a couple of glasses with a decanter of liquid. He poured them both a drink and handed one to Gortha.

"Lieutenant, a toast, to our success thus far. Might I say as well that you have been a very capable asset to this operation."

They both took a drink. Gortha noticed this was the same beverage Scorpius served before with that fruity-meaty flavor. It must be a favorite of his, whatever it was.

"Thank you, sir. I have tried to..." Gortha never finished his sentence. Scorpius had put down his drink and walked around to snap his neck. As he crumpled to the ground, Scorpius caught the glass still in his hand and gulped the remainder down. Scorpius bent down to one knee and addressed Gortha's body.

"You didn't let me finish, Lieutenant. You're a very capable asset but one I can still live without. Farewell."

Scorpius picked up Gortha's body and tossed it outside of the Marauder. The ship's door closed and the engine fired to life. Scorpius lifted off and headed for the Leviathan. In his last few seconds alive, Gortha realized he was nothing more than a tool to Scorpius. As his life force faded away, he still hoped Scorpius was able to fulfill his plan. He will not have died for nothing then.

Chapter Five

Scorpius boarded the Leviathan and took a brief tour of the ship. He needed to get familiar with his surroundings and followed up with a perusal of the ship's schematics. He checked on the progress of the modifications being installed and it appeared to be right on schedule. Scorpius' appearance on board did give the technicians some extra incentive to finish sooner. He gave most of them a case of the willies.

Once satisfied with his updates, Scorpius headed for the Pilot's den. The Pilot was giving one of the technicians a hard time about the power siphoning scenario. Scorpius approached the two of them and addressed the technician.

"Resume your work. You will not be having any more resistance shortly."

"Aye, sir," responded the tech who suddenly had a grim feeling about the Pilot's immediate future.

Scorpius looked at the Pilot and waited for the tech to leave. He could see the Pilot bristled at his presence but he was not cowering like a lot of people would. He appeared relatively young and was obviously frustrated that he was effectively trapped with this Leviathan while in Peacekeeper custody.

"Hello, Pilot. I am Scorpius, your new captain, and I come to you wishing to strike a deal. One that would benefit you and the Leviathan greatly."

"Scorpius, what could you possibly offer us short of granting an early death?" the Pilot asked indignantly.

"Freedom. If you cooperate fully, I will grant you your freedom. No more control collar and no more servitude to the Peacekeepers. But I must have your full unwavering cooperation. Anything short of that and I shall surely grant you that early death."

"What assurances do we have that you will keep your word?" asked the Pilot skeptically.

"For you to do your job properly, we will need your starburst ability. That being the case, I will have to remove the Leviathan's control collar."

Scorpius could feel the Leviathan starting to quake slightly in anticipation. He activated his comms device.

"Mr. Minosh, please have the control collar released as soon as possible."

"The control collar, sir? Are you quite sure about that? The techs are not nearly finished yet."

"Quite sure, Minosh. I do not wish to make this request twice, clear?"

"Quite clear, sir. Control collar coming off in ten microts."

"Pilot, I sincerely request that you keep the Leviathan ..."

"Gwenna. Her name is Gwenna."

"That you keep Gwenna calm and in place until work is finished."

"I will do as you ask. Thank you, Scorpius," said Pilot pleasantly surprised.

The control collar soon came off and Gwenna shook thunderously. Pilot got her to calm down quickly.

"Much better," said Scorpius. "We will not be leaving for some time so keep Gwenna powered down and resting. She is going to need it."

The removal of the control collar actually helped get things finished a little faster with the technicians not having to work around it. It also gave them better readings during their setup without all of the active system suppression.

Once finished and Scorpius had given his approval, the techs left with Minosh leaving Scorpius alone on the Leviathan. For once, Scorpius didn't feel the need to eliminate anyone. He knew that having an experienced crew would be necessary to build more of these Leviathan based wave generators. Scorpius needed to first secure the approval of the council by submitting his proposal with hard proof of this new weapon. He could then effectively sit back and watch the military tacticians tackle the Scarrans once a fleet of Leviathans had been modified. The victory would indeed be glorious, not just for Peacekeepers, but for himself.

After their arrival at the Royal Planet, the next six months went as planned for the Crichton family. Their home was basically finished and they could finally enjoy it. Little D'Argo was growing each day, as infants do, and was set up well for the future. An educational room for studies was set up, complete with library and computer access, as well as an outdoor training area for exercise and self defense practices.

They spent their days enjoying each other's company as they finished working on the house and raising their child. They weren't quite sure what to expect from the mixed species baby, as far as growth and development. Being half Human and half Sebacean seemed to have its advantages. His motor skills developed a little sooner and he was taking his first steps by the time they finished the house. John was still trying to get him to talk, though.

"Dada, come on say Dada," said John instructing D'Argo playfully.

"Maybe you're pushing him too hard. He is half Human you know," teased Aeryn.

"Hey, I was reading by the time I was two so I would hardly call this pushing him," John defended himself. "Besides, yesterday he came really close to saying 'baseball'. It just came out 'grbblesmack' so it's not like he's not trying."

"D-" said D'Argo.

"Ooh, wait, wait! Here it is! Come on! Dada. Daaadaa," said John encouraging his son.

"D-. D-. Dren," cooed D'Argo.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" said John looking embarassed.

"What have you been teaching our son?" demanded Aeryn in a fake raised voice and took D'Argo away from John.

"Me?! No! Never! Bad baby! Aw, you gotta be kidding me!" said John and walked away with a hand to his head for the headache that was brewing.

Aeryn watched John walk out of the room and smiled.

"Good baby," she whispered to D'Argo and kissed him on the forehead.

In the other room, John noticed a light blinking on their communications panel. Someone had left a message. John activated the playback and watched as Pilot's face materialized on the screen.

"Hello, John and Aeryn. Moya and I have been requested by Dominar Rygel to provide transport for you to Hyneria for the coronation ceremonies. We will be arriving to pick you up in ten solar days. We look forward to seeing you again."

"Honey! Pack your bags and put out the trash! We're going on a road trip," said John. "Pilot just called. They'll be here in ten days," he continued as Aeryn walked into the room.

"Good. It will be nice to see our friends again," said Aeryn as she played with the baby. "Do you think we should arrange for a caretaker for D'Argo or take him with us?"

"We can take him with us. Everyone would probably like to see him again and besides he'll be well protected. We're riding on Moya, and he's got you for a mother. How much more protection could he possibly need?"

Aeryn raised an eyebrow at him and shot him a look.

"Damn right," she said.

Ten days later a transport pod landed near the house. The door opened and out stepped Stark. John went out to greet Stark at the transport pod.

"Stark, you old space dog! How've you been?"

"Fine, just fine," said Stark as they shook hands and patted each other on the arm. "How have the two of you been? How's the little one?"

"Well, we're settling in now that the house is done. D'Argo is doing well. Can't exactly fire a pulse pistol yet though."

"I'm sure Aeryn will see to that in a timely fashion."

"Oh, yeah. Come on in, I'll give you the ten cent tour."

John and Stark walked to the house and Aeryn greeted them with little D'Argo in her arms. After exchanging pleasantries, they sat down and had a little refreshment.

"Oh, you should see it. Everything's coming together nicely," said Stark. "It will be good to have a celebration of some sort after all the suffering they've been through."

"Scarrans or Peacekeepers?" asked Aeryn as she sipped some tea.

"Neither actually," responded Stark. "As you recall, Rygel's cousin Bishan deposed him and had him imprisoned by the Peacekeepers over a hundred cycles ago. During that time, rule under him has failed. Things had gotten so bad on Hyneria that Bishan himself was having to avoid being overthrown. The Scarrans and Peacekeepers just made things a little worse."

"Yeah, but there's no way Sparky could've fixed a hundred cycles of mayhem in six months. Could he?" asked John doubtfully.

"Oh, no, of course not," began Stark. "Upon Rygel's return, Bishan abdicated and Rygel reassumed his rightful title of Dominar. His first act in office was to publicly execute Bishan. The citizens were so overjoyed that they've been working extra diligently to get things back in order."

"Nothing like a firing squad to boost morale," said Aeryn.

"Trust me. A firing squad would have been merciful compared to what Rygel did," said Stark with a little grimace.

"Ooh. Yikes. Well, Rygel always was a little spiteful," said John cringing. Stark finished his drink and set down the cup.

"We can talk more aboard Moya if you'd like," said Stark. "Are you ready to leave?"

"We should be ready in about an arn," said Aeryn.

"Good, good. Oh, when you're aboard, I have a new friend for you to meet."

"Always good to make new friends," said John as he stood up. "Alright, we'll catch up with you in about an arn."

Stark headed back to the transport pod and made sure there were plenty of suitable accommodations for the three additional passengers. John and Aeryn grabbed a few extra provisions and made some security arrangements for the house as well as her Prowler fighter ship and John's flight module from Earth. They met up with Stark a short time later and headed up to Moya.

After landing in the docking bay, the group headed up to Pilot's den where he controlled the ship's functions. After exchanging greetings with Pilot, Stark led the group to the Command Center where a lone figure in a white tunic stood watching out of the main viewing window.

"John, Aeryn, this is Ramosh Veska," said Stark. "He is a physician that I met on Hyneria."

"Greetings," said Ramosh as he turned and placed a hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. "Welcome back to Moya."

Ramosh almost seemed to glow if in appearance alone. His golden yellow skin was contrasted by his shoulder length silver hair. He appeared to have golden eyes as well.

"Nice to meet you, Ramosh," said Aeryn.

"Good to meet ya, Ram," said John flashing his signature peace sign with his fingers. "So what brings you to Moya?"

"Ramosh," said Ramosh. John looked at him quizically. "You called me Ram. My name is Ramosh."

Stark quickly pulled Ramosh aside and whispered to him.

"You'll have to forgive him. At times he can be a bit of an idiot. I think it's a species trait," said Stark with a wink.

"Oh, I see," said Ramosh. He turned his attention back to John and Aeryn. "To answer your question, I have been on Hyneria for some time trying to help with medical services. When Moya arrived, it provided me an opportunity for a change of venue. I am applying some remedies and healings to Moya in exchange for passage. After all she seems to have been through, I thought it would be quite beneficial to her. It will take some time though, being a creature of her size."

"We appreciate what you can do for her," said Aeryn. "She's definitely been through a lot."

"So Stark has been telling me. You certainly have had your share of adventures aboard her."

"You don't know the half of it, Ram," said John.

"Ramosh is an exceptional healer," said Stark. "So much so that he achieved the title of Honorary Diagnosan. Quite an honor indeed. He's also very knowledgeable with Leviathan physiology," he continued.

"Yeah, but can he cure this rash on my arm?" kidded John.

Ramosh took a step over and lightly handled John's arm.

"I see no rash. How long have you had this affliction?" Ramosh asked seriously and with concern for the would be patient. John's arm began to tingle a bit as Ramosh touched it.

"Just a joke, Ram," said John as he pulled his arm back a little and rubbed the spot Ramosh had touched. "Hey what was that? You made my arm kind of tingly."

"Oh, we Stellarians have an ability to harness solar energy and transfer it to patients in order to stimulate the healing process. It has the tendency to energize the area touched as well, thus the tingling effect. It doesn't affect all species the same though."

"Are you doing something similar to Moya?" asked Aeryn as she glanced at John's arm cautiously.

"Yes, but I can only do it perodically. In the meantime, I've been applying more traditional medicines."

"Well guys, let's go settle in before Pilot hits us with a starbust," said John. "Good to have you aboard, Ram." John, Aeryn, and the baby left for their quarters as Stark stayed behind with Ramosh.

John and Aeryn finished unpacking and secured an area with a crib for the child. The crib was more like a padded box in an effort to protect him from any potential flying objects. Starbust alone provided enough turbulence to cause things to occasionally fall in a Leviathan. This was compounded by the lurching about and evasive maneuvers that they would do from time to time as well.

"God, it looks like we're packing him in a crate like cargo," commented John.

"Mommy's precious little cargo," said Aeryn playfully as she set little D'Argo down in the crib. John marveled that Aeryn could soften up as she had since her rough and tumble Peacekeeper days.

"Prepare for starburst, people, in one hundred microts," announced Pilot over the comms system.

"Got it, Pilot," said John. "Thanks for the warning."

Moya's electric blue bio-energy fired up around her to do a starburst and then suddenly stopped, sending the Leviathan to a lurching stop.

"Ho! Pilot, what the hell just happened?" yelled John as Aeryn checked on their child. He was a little wide eyed but ok otherwise.

"Moya stopped starburst on her own. She picked something up on her sensors at the last microt," explained Pilot. "Something disturbing."

"Do you know what it was?"

"I'm not sure. There was a small cluster of ships well off in the distance, including three Scarran vessels and a Leviathan," said Pilot as he continued checking sensors.

"Scarrans don't normally use Leviathans but what's so disturbing about that?" asked John.

"It almost appeared as though the Leviathan fired a weapon of some kind on the Scarran ships and then starburst away," Pilot said bewildered.

"You want to run that by me again? Leviathans don't have weaponry."

"John, Aeryn, you should come up to Command," said Stark over the comms system. "We may be able to confirm what Pilot said."

"On our way," said John as he and Aeryn jogged up to the Command Center.

"What have you got, Stark?" asked Aeryn when they arrived.

"Ramosh and I were just chatting when we caught a small glimpse of something bright in the forward window," said Stark as he played with some controls. "Here's a close up playback of what we saw."

Although the ships could barely be seen, the white-orange blast that enveloped them was quite obvious on the video screen. It was followed by a tiny burst of energy that could very well have been a Leviathan's starburst.

"So wait, are you telling me that the Peacekeeper's got another Talyn running around?" asked John. I thought Moya was the only one capable of producing gunship Leviathans."

"All information available still indicates that Talyn was the only gunship Leviathan that ever lived, Commander," said Pilot. "No other successes have ever been reported."

"If there was indeed an attack, I would like to see if any survivors need any medical attention," said Ramosh.

"Of course, Ramosh. Pilot, please ready a transport pod," requested Aeryn.

"Pilot, let's keep Moya at a safe distance. Just close enough to make readings and to check for other ships approaching," said John.

"Agreed, Commander," said Pilot. "Moya is not keen on confronting any weaponized ships being as defenseless as she is."

John, Stark, and Ramosh left on a transport pod for the Scarran ships and did a slow approach, being wary of the situation. They didn't want to appear as antagonists.

"Pilot, any word from the Scarrans at all?" asked John.

"No, Commander. No responses to our hails. In fact, no transmissions whatsoever," informed Pilot.

"Well, either something's happened or they're throwing us a surprise party," said John. "Let's hope it's the latter," he said as he started loading his pulse pistol. "You two might want to bring some protection."

"I've never had to fire a weapon in my life and hopefully never will," said Ramosh.

"To be honest, John, I get the feeling we're not going to need weapons over there," said Stark as they got closer. "The Scarran ships are just listing about as if no one's aboard."

"We should be so lucky. I've used this thing way too much in my lifetime," said John. "Ok, fellas, let's set down in that cargo ship."

"I'm tracking you three from Command. Be careful over there," said Aeryn over the comms.

Back on board Moya, Aeryn was accessing readouts from the console in the Command Center.

"Pilot, I'm not reading any damage to those ships. Can you confirm that?" asked Aeryn.

"Yes, Aeryn, in fact, aside from some system overloads, it would appear as they were all in perfect condition."

"Did you get that, John?" asked Aeryn over the comms again.

"Yeah, we can confirm visually, no real external damage at all," said John as they circled the ships.

"If it was a weapon, what could it possibly have done?" asked Ramosh.

"We're about to find out. Landing in ninety microts," announced Stark.

The three of them disembarked after landing, in search of survivors and someone to talk to. Unfortunately, the only thing they found was dead body after dead body. Scarrans, probably twenty, lay dead where they once stood. After a search, John called back to Moya as they wandered through a cargo bay.

"Aeryn, the lights were on but no one was home," said John.

"All gone?" asked Aeryn.

"All dead," said Stark.

"Hold on," said Ramosh. "All dead except these Verish worms," he continued as he looked through a crate that had evidently fallen over and opened. A few worms had crawled out onto the floor. They were moving sluggishly but they were alive.

"Alright, well I suppose that counts as survivors in an evolutionary tree kind of way," said John.

"I'll bring a few with us for examination and see if they can give us any clues," said Ramosh as he packaged them up to put in his pocket.

"Aeryn, we're going to head over to the escort ship in a couple microts," said John.

"Alright, keep us informed. We're still tracking things here."

"All quiet on the Western Front, Pilot?" asked John as they headed to the transport pod.

"No signs of any other ships in the area, Commander."

"Ok, we're heading out now. Get back to you shortly."

The three of them docked with the escort ship and soon found the same results. As they made their way though the ship, there was dead Scarran after dead Scarran. They finally made their way to the Command Center where almost a dozen dead Scarrans lay on the floor.

Over on the far side of the room, however, something not quite Scarran was sticking out underneath a Scarran body. It was the legs of a Charrod. One of the legs of the ghoulish appearing creature twitched and was noticed by Stark.

"A survivor! Ramosh! Quickly, over here!" shouted Stark.

Ramosh made his way past the bodies to the Charrod along with Crichton. The three moved the larger Scarran off of the Charrod and saw a pool of blood that came from the Charrod. Evidently, he had broken his arm badly and was bleeding out.

Ramosh tried to touch the bloodied arm with his hand. He closed his eyes and his hand started to glow just a bit. The Charrod's eyes began to flutter a bit and he tried to speak. He only managed to gurgle out a few sounds and then gave up. His eyes closed.

Stark lifted the side of his Stykeran mask and released his energy to help guide the Charrod's soul to The Other Side. Ramosh looked disappointed that he couldn't help.

"Sorry, Ram. We just didn't have enough time," consoled John.

"I know and I should be used to it but I never am."

Stark looked a bit lost in thought for a moment.

"You all right, Stark?" asked John.

"I'm fine," Stark replied. "I managed to retain some of this poor Charrod's last moments in memory. He witnessed the attack in question. Some sort of energy ball exploding and then all of the Scarrans around him dropped where they stood. He felt no ill effects until the Scarran fell on him and crushed him."

"That would be consistent with his wounds," noted Ramosh.

"Well, if he saw it, maybe it's been recorded in one of their systems," said John.

Stark went over to one of the consoles and was able to bring up a playback on a video screen of recent events. Off in the distance, the screen focused on the ship that had approached. It was indeed a Leviathan. The Leviathan did not respond to any hails from the Scarran ship. It fired a solitary shot of bright energy in the front of the three Scarran ships. The light exploded with an intense orange-white wave of energy that washed over the entire area. The Leviathan then turned and went into starburst, disappearing from the screen.

"Stark, can you send that to Moya for us?" asked John.

"Yes, it should only take a moment."

"We should get over to the last ship quickly. While there still may be time," said Ramosh looking a little anxious.

"Aeryn, Pilot, we're heading over to the last ship. Stark just sent you some video of what happened, too," John informed them.

"Got it," said Aeryn.

"I am trying to access their data stores for any other information as well, Commander," said Pilot as he kept tapping at controls.

"Thanks, Pilot, that should help."

The three men checked out the last ship, another cargo vessel, and found the same results. Dead Scarrans were all over the ship. Stark solemnly activated a rescue beacon so that someone would come take care of the ships and the dead. They deserved to have an eventual burial as any other being.

Admiral Bracca returned with his Command Carrier to the small planetoid where Scorpius had moved his experiment. It was time to check on his progress and see what he had been up to. Lieutenant Thomas, an up and coming officer, reported To Bracca's office.

"Still no word from Scorpius or his crew, sir," said the lieutenant.

"Probably just a communications glitch but let's get a Marauder Patrol ready, just in case," said Bracca.

"Who shall I assign for duty, sir?"

"Entara Squad is up on rotation, correct?"

"Yes, sir, but they are a heavy weapons squad."

"I know. Have them in full battle gear and ready in half an arn."

"Full battle gear, sir?" said Thomas raising an eyebrow.

"Lieutenant, when you've known Scorpius as long as I have, you go prepared."

Bracca boarded the Marauder and headed down to the planetoid with the Patrol officers. They were heavily armed and much better trained than the crew he had sent with Scorpius. He could have assigned anyone to the task of checking on Scorpius but considering the sensitivity of the research, he had to go himself. Besides, he was genuinely curious to see how far Scorpius had gotten. He did not like the alleged communications glitch, though, as that did not bode well.

Landing near the research site, they noted the missing Marauder and the lack of life signs from the sensors.

"Defense pattern Decka," commanded Bracca. "Report when the area is secure and if any inhabitants are found."

"Yes, sir," said one of the helmeted crew.

They disembarked and quickly patrolled the area. A few moments later the crewman called back over the comms.

"Area secure, sir. We have some casualties here. No survivors."

Bracca left the Marauder and inspected the grim scene himself. He saw the remains of the four Marauder officers and the lone Scarran who should not have been there. Scorpius and Gortha were nowhere to be seen. He looked at the setup of the area and noticed the beacon over by the half dismantled transport pod. He pressed the playback button and listened to the message.

"Damn," he said softly. He knew Scorpius had made a break for it. "Lieutenant Thomas," he called over the comms.

"Here, sir," came the reply.

"Send a cleanup crew and an investigation team to the planetoid surface immediately.

"Aye, sir."

A solar day later and Bracca had the results he was looking for. Lieutenant Thomas brought the news to him.

"Here are the results of the investigation, sir," Thomas said as he handed an electronic tablet to Bracca. "Eyes Only, per your orders."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. You are dismissed."

Thomas turned to leave but then stopped.

"Was there something more, Lieutenant?"

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why all the secrecy over the results? Surely such and incident," Thomas began before being interrupted.

"Is far more sensitive an issue than you realize. Thank you again, Lieutenant. Dismissed." Bracca gave him a slight look to get him moving. The lieutenant saluted, turned, and left leaving Bracca alone with the report.

Bracca first looked at the autopsy results. The Peacekeepers had died from severe heat exposure. The Scarran showed death by overwhelming cellular disruption similar to what he'd seen earlier in Scorpius' lab. Scorpius had somehow managed to secure a test subject to further his experiment, that much was certain. He turned his attention to the rest of the investigation.

There had been weapons fire but only in one direction and definitely not at the Scarran. The heat units left behind indicated only one feasible possibility – it had been a trap for the Marauder officers. Scorpius had seen them as disposable and they had finished serving his needs. Bracca looked at the rest of the evidence in the report. It detailed how the transport pod had been altered for a power transfer to another device.

Likely, it had been used to kill the Scarran, he thought. If he needed that much power for his new device, he would need even more for something of a weapons grade variety, he reasoned. That would likely mean a much bigger ship.

"Lieutenant Thomas," said Bracca over the comms.

"Here, sir," replied Thomas.

"I need you to do a system search for any large, military grade ships, Peacekeeper or otherwise, reported stolen, purchased, or commandeered in the past ninety solar days. Report your findings to me as soon as possible."

"Aye, sir."

Bracca opened a high powered coded emergency channel to the High Council. He needed to discuss the matter at hand before it spiraled out of control. He was greeted by one of the Council members.

"Admiral Bracca, greetings," said Vice Chancellor Vosler.

"Greetings, Vice Chancellor. I wish this was more of a social call but unfortunately there is a matter of importance to discuss. Scorpius has violated his agreement and left his confinement area."

"I see. How so?"

"From what we can tell, during an experiment he managed to murder the Marauder Patrol and escape."

"This doesn't seem to be that big an issue, Admiral. Simply arrest him, try him, and execute him. We'll issue the warrant shortly."

"You don't understand. We should work under the assumption that he is much further along in his experiment than anyone previously knew. I believe he is already at a much larger testing phase."

"What exactly is he testing again?"

"Energy wave manipulation to kill the Scarrans. And might I say, it appears he's been very successful so far."

"It almost sounds as if you're advocating on his behalf, Admiral," said Vosler with a raised eyebrow.

"All I'm saying, sir, is don't discount his research. I know Scorpius. What he's doing could be invaluable to the Peacekeepers."

"If he tries using this on Scarrans so soon after the treaty was signed, he will drag us back into a war we are not prepared for."

"I agree. Although the technology may eventually prove useful, now is not the time. We are currently tracking leads that will help us apprehend him."

"Good. Use whatever tools you can to find him. Save the technology if you can but destroy it and Scorpius if you must. Do NOT let Scorpius get away again. Meanwhile, I will inform the rest of the Council. Good luck, Admiral."

The screen flickered off and Bracca was left alone with his thoughts. As long as he'd known and worked along side Scorpius, he'd always regarded him as cunning and clear thinking. Even if he did act rashly from time to time, he usually had a good reason behind it.

Bracca knew the Council hated Scorpius for all the trouble he was always able to get them into, but they also knew that he was an invaluable resource. Bracca wished they could see more of that side of him, just as much as he wished Scorpius would listen to reason in this case. If he could just get a hold of him, maybe he could talk to him. His thoughts were interrupted by the comms system coming on again.

"Admiral. Lieutenant Thomas, sir. I have a preliminary report on the vessel search for your review, if you wish. Sending it now, sir."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," said Bracca. He liked Thomas as he seemed to be able to get things done and had a lot of energy.

Bracca turned on his computer terminal and accessed the report. It was a relatively short list, thankfully. Surely, a direct result of the lull in the action from the peace treaty, he thought. Most of the ships were too small and a few too big or too old. Then he took note of one that was a late addition to the list. A Leviathan due for decommission had recently been put back into active service with a pending captain. The location of the Leviathan was somewhere he'd visited once with Scorpius. It was definitely worth checking out.

"Lieutenant, set course for the Relforth Shipyard," he ordered over the comms.

Chapter Six

The crew returned to Moya and Ramosh headed to his own research area in one of the maintenance bays. John and Stark headed up to Command to meet with Aeryn.

"You two should see this. I've been trying to get a better image in the playback," said Aeryn. "The Leviathan doesn't have a control collar but it does have something attached to it."

"What the Hezmana is that?" asked Crichton. "It looks like an emitter of some sort."

"That's sort of what I thought," said Aeryn. "An emitter capable of sending out an energy pulse that can kill Scarrans yet not damage their ships in any real way."

"The last time we saw something like that was on Katrazi, when we were trapped in that flower cavern and Sikozu did her Kalish radiation trick," said John remembering.

"I remember you telling me about that," said Stark. "She used some sort of body energy projection to kill the Scarrans but it weakened her greatly."

"So what are we dealing with here," asked Aeryn, "a rogue Kalish?"

"Well, we know that as a species, they're very technical but most of them work for the Scarrans and I wouldn't bet on them trying something stupid like flat out attacking them," said John. "Unless they've got some infallible super weapon."

"If I might interject," began Pilot as his image showed on the clamshell video screen, "I may have some insight to share with you."

"What have you got, Pilot?" asked John.

"After retrieving the available information from the Scarran ship's data stores, I've been able to make a comparative analysis. If you'll direct your attention to the main vid screen, I can show you in detail," said Pilot as he brought up a couple of graphics to the video screen.

"The information on the left is from the attack on the Scarran ships. What you're seeing is a radiation wave that was bundled with a release of starburst energy," Pilot continued. "The information on the right is the same radiation wave that was found in a file that Scorpius used to document the radiation emitted by Sikozu against the Scarrans on Katrazi."

"Scorpius? Damn, I had hoped we were done with that freak show," said John as he grimaced and wiped his and over his face.

"So you're thinking this was done by Scorpius?" asked Stark.

"It would fit the pattern. He does have access to Peacekeeper technology and captured Leviathans and he may not have gotten past his desire to eliminate the Scarrans," said Aeryn.

"I hate to say it but I may have given him part of the idea for this, too," lamented John. "I showed him it was possible to use starburst energy when I used it for the wormhole weapon."

"Somehow I knew this was all your fault," said Aeryn half heartedly teasing John.

"It usually is," John acknowledged.

Ramosh's voice came over the comm system.

"John, Aeryn, Stark, I can further confirm Pilot's information. There was a residual trace of the radiation on the Verish worms. It matches exactly as was shown but had no effect on the worms before their demise."

"They died? Was there something else?" asked Stark.

"Yes, me. I ate them."

"You ate them?" asked John.

"Well, yes, they are after all, a Scarran delicacy and are quite tasty if you have the stomach for them. Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Did you want to share some?"

"No, no. That's ok. You enjoy that," said John who gave a little shudder. "I'll never get used to the fact that it's a dog eat dog eat anything kind of universe out there."

"So, Scorpius again," said Aeryn sighing. "I'd almost rather fight an entire army of Darleks."

"Daleks?" asked John. "Really? You know I don't think I've ever mentioned anything about Doctor Who."

"What are you talking about? Darleks are a super intelligent crustacean species with laser claws on Tantalus Five."

"Uh-huh," said John who glanced at Stark who then softly shrugged. "Yeah, well, I've already cashed in my chips and I am out of the crime fighting business."

"If this is indeed Scorpius, he may very well restart a war we tried so hard to stop," said Stark. "We must do something."

"What do you want from me, Stark? I am not about to go chasing after that lunatic with my six month old son aboard! End of story," said John. He was visibly upset as he left the Command Center.

"He's right, Stark. We have to get D'Argo to a safer location before we do anything," said Aeryn. "I'll talk to him afterwards."

"Yes, Hyneria should prove a safe haven away from here," said Stark.

Admiral Bracca's Command Carrier arrived at the Relforth Shipyard. Bracca and an escort patrol took a Marauder down to the surface of Lorren to continue the investigation and hunt for Scorpius.

Mr. Minosh looked over another set of specifications for a customized speed ship for a local captain. He looked up when a shadow appeared in the doorway followed by the sound of someone clearing their throat. Although he was used to seeing various officers in the Peacekeeper command structure, he was a little surprised to see an admiral flanked with an armed escort.

"Can I help you, Admiral?" he asked weakly.

"Admiral Meeklo Bracca. You are Mr. Minosh, correct?"

Minosh nodded slowly as his eyes darted between the admiral and his soldiers.

"Mr. Minosh, I need your cooperation or I will have no choice but to shut you down. Permanently," he added with emphasis.

"Yes, of course, what exactly do you need?"

"All information regarding Scorpius' project. Layouts, materials, everything."

"Scorpius? Scorpius? Hmmm, I don't seem to recall," Minosh said as he faked trying to remember facts that didn't exist.

Bracca stifled a smirk and nodded to two of his guards. They each moved to either side of Minosh. The overly familiar whine of pulse charges loading into rifle chambers came to Minosh's ears.

"Ooh! That project! Silly me. Yes, yes, let me get that," he stammered and slowly backed to a storage cabinet. He searched through various hanging files and pulled out the data chip that Scorpius had given him.

After Minosh showed him the file information, Bracca had the information transferred to his personal terminal aboard the Command Carrier.

"Does anyone else have this information?" Bracca asked sternly.

"No, no, just me and I never keep anything aside from the originals."

Bracca did a thorough search of the storage cabinet and grabbed the remaining spec sheets for Scorpius' project. He removed Minosh's data chip from the terminal and placed it on the floor where he crushed it with his boot.

"Good," said Bracca. "You will never speak of this again unless directly ordered by me. Understood?"

Minosh nodded vigorously. Bracca turned to leave and started walking out the door. He paused midway through.

"Oh and Minosh, thank you for your cooperation. You may have just helped stop a war."

Bracca and his men left, leaving Minosh bewildered. He had been strong armed and bullied into work or divulging secrets before but he couldn't recall ever being thanked afterwards. He sat back in his chair and sighed. He started to laugh. It felt nice being appreciated for once.

Bracca returned to the Command Carrier and perused the schematics to Scorpius' design. It was actually fairly simple. Starburst energy bled into storage containers and then was fed into a wave generator. The wave generator was loaded with a particular element combination and fired from the front of the ship through an emitter with a varying delivery range.

The steady energy bleed would appear to allow the Leviathan to still be able to starburst as needed. Since starburst was the only real defensive capability of a Leviathan, he must be relying on a ship escort for full deployment, he thought. He noticed one of the side notes on one schematic with the name of the energy wave.

"Kalish Amplified Body Energy Radiation," he said to himself.

He remembered a conversation with Scorpius regarding his escape from the Scarran base on Katratzi. In an effort to rescue Aeryn Sun from the Scarrans, John Crichton allied with Scorpius to gain his help. During the escape attempt, their group was trapped in an underground cavern. Sikozu, a genetically modified Kalish that was trapped with them, exposed herself as having a rarely used radiation that could kill Scarrans. When the Scarrans arrived to recapture them, she released her radiation wave. Although it weakened her temporarily to incapacitation, it killed the Scarrans and enabled their escape from Katratzi.

"He did it. He found a way to replicate Sikozu's body radiation. Amazing," he said. Scorpius never ceased to amaze him even if Scorpius was a danger to all those around him.

There was no doubt about it. Scorpius had found a way to fulfill his vendetta as long as the Peacekeepers cooperated. The Council will be unwilling to listen, though. He had to find him before he did too much damage. The Scarrans, when they find out, will demand answers and want an appropriate action taken to preserve the peace.

Scorpius directed the Leviathan Gwenna to a secure location within Peacekeeper space and sent a priority channel communication signal to the High Council member chambers. The signal connected and Scorpius was greeted with a viewing of the six current Council members. They sat in a row with three on each side of a center empty chair. The center chair would've belonged to Grand Chancellor Marek but his assassination left it unoccupied as they had yet to officially designate a new person to the position. Vice Chancellor Vosler was the most senior member and served as spokesperson for the Council at the current time. He rose as he addressed Scorpius on the viewscreen.

"Scorpius, this is an unexpected contact. Last we were informed, you were conducting research on a planetoid under Admiral Bracca's watch. Has something changed?"

"Something has indeed changed, Vice Chancellor, and for the better. That something is the future of the Peacekeepers." Scorpius tried to read the faces of the Council members. They remained unmoved by his statement. A pity I couldn't do this in person, thought Scorpius. His unique ability to read energy signatures would help him in situations like this but a viewscreen rendered that ability useless. Vice Chancellor Vosler sat down as Scorpius continued.

"As you are aware, I have been conducting some experimental research. What you do not know is the nature of that research and how extremely successful it has been." Scorpius paused for a moment looking for any reaction whatsoever. He received none.

"Let me get straight to the point. I have successfully developed a weapon that is Scarran specific. It will, if deployed properly, eliminate the greatest threat the Peacekeepers have ever encountered." Still no reaction from the Council. Scorpius continued.

"In a moment, I am sending you schematics, recorded tests, and results of my research. It is quite impressive." Scorpius sent the information to their viewscreens detailing the layouts and the casualties he had created so far. There were a few murmurs between members as they watched the footage and the resulting Scarran deaths.

Scorpius started to feel very positive about his meeting finally. They will see this for what it is, he thought. A chance to finally eradicate the Scarran menace. He could also finally achieve his own personal grand revenge. Revenge for the way he was brought into this world as a physically tormented half-breed by the Scarrans, who had raped his Sebacean mother and let her die as part of their own biological experiment.

After the presentation, Scorpius stood and waited with a slight smile for their eventual approval. Several moments passed as the Council members conferred with each other while their transmission signal was muted. When they finished, Vice Chancellor Vosler rose again and addressed Scorpius.

"Scorpius, we whole heartedly agree that this is indeed quite impressive. Your ingenuity, as always, has been an asset to the Peacekeepers and we applaud your efforts." Scorpius beamed at the compliment and his hopes elevated even higher.

"However, the Council has decided not to implement your suggestions. We are attempting to change direction and use the peace treaty to better our relations with other species, including the Scarrans."

"Are you mad?!" spat Scorpius. "Do you really think the Scarrans are sitting idly by sipping tea and framing copies of the peace treaty for their walls? No! They plot and plan for a future when this treaty does not exist! This treaty gives them the opportunity to attack us with no resistance. They will carve a hole through Peacekeeper space and destroy us at will. And when they reach the Council chambers, they will eat you alive!"

"Scorpius, please! You must be reasonable. We simply can not afford to take this risk. Other species are looking to see if Peacekeepers will honor our word and we need them to see that we will. This will benefit us financially, militarily, and even socially. We can revisit your proposition if things change."

"Things ARE about to change, Vice Chancellor, and sooner than you realize!" growled Scorpius and he cut off communication.

The Council chamber went silent as Vice Chancellor Vosler sat back down.

"Was it me or did Scorpius look really, really sparkly?"

Chapter Seven

Saying that Scorpius was disappointed with his meeting with the Council members would be an understatement. Why wouldn't they listen to reason? It was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of. He decided a change of tactics was in order. If they would not cooperate willingly, then he would have to change their minds for them. Starting a guerilla war with locally heavy casualties would infuriate the Scarrans and may be enough to provoke them into breaking the peace treaty. The Peacekeepers would need the new weaponry suddenly and Scorpius would provide it to them. Likely for a price but he would decide on that later.

He decided to start hitting some soft targets. Renalla was a disputed planet on the border between Scarran and Hynerian territories that was currently occupied by Scarrans and Charrods. An attack there by an unknown should stir things up a bit. With a sneer creeping over his face, Scorpius plotted a course for Renalla.

A couple of sizable starbursts put Scorpius near his target. Since Leviathans are generally nonweaponized ships, they are regarded as nonthreatening to just about everyone. However, Scorpius still wanted to avoid detection and any confrontations from armed vessels so he chose a more stealthy approach.

There were three main cities that housed heavy populations of both permanent and temporary residents. Scorpius checked to make sure his storage levels of bled off starburst energy were at maximum. He waited until he was at a central firing position in relation to the three cities and then fired three blasts: one for each location.

The orangeish white energy balls each flew to their destinations and exploded in great blasts above their respective cities. The starburst energy alone was sufficient to collapse several buildings in each area, which resulted in some casualties of its own. The KAmBER wave released extended in a radius that went miles. Scarrans dropped in their tracks, unaware of what was happening. They died by the thousands. The Charrods were speechless as they were left relatively unharmed. What could possibly have done this to the Scarrans?

A hearty growl arose from Scorpius. It was an even better result than he had expected. The batteries were significantly

drained and would need to be refilled after they left. Scorpius ordered Pilot to starburst out of the area. Pilot obeyed the order and silently mourned for the dead, ashamed of the violence that he and Gwenna were now associated with.

On the way to Hyneria, John took the time to think over recent events. If this really was Scorpius, could the galaxy afford for him to sit this one out? Would Scorpius start a war just to satisfy his need for vengeance against the Scarrans?

John surmised that Scorpius was not that reckless. Scorpius plotted and reasoned carefully even if he did leave a trail of bodies behind out of spite at times. If he had something the Peacekeepers could use against the Scarrans, he was sure to deploy it to the entire force, not just one totally unprotected ship.

Barring some sort of rogue with a death wish, this looked more and more like a weapons test. If they were still testing, then there was still time. They could warn the Scarrans but by warning them, would that provoke them into a preemptive attack on the Peacekeepers? John's head started to hurt from this line of thinking. They needed more information before making any kind of move.

His thoughts went back to the weapon testing. If they were doing a test, it made sense for them to do it away from Scarran space, so word would not get back to them immediately, especially if they were taken by surprise. It would also make sense to test it against actual ships to gauge the results. That would mean they may be closer to deployment than he originally thought. Still, he didn't know what to do.

"Pilot," John called out over his comms device, "can you check on something for me? I'd like to find out if there has been any irregular chatter by the Scarrans or Peacekeepers lately."

"Can you be more specific, Commander?" asked Pilot.

"No, not really. I guess I'm just looking for incidents or reports out of the ordinary."

"That may take some time. I will do my best."

"I know you will, Pilot."

A short while later, Pilot had an answer for John.

"Commander, it turns out that an unprovoked attack on a colony of Scarrans has been reported but they have no idea how it was done or by who," said Pilot. "The attack was similar to the one we witnessed earlier with the facts that a Leviathan had been seen leaving the area and that the only species that had died in the attack were Scarrans."

"Where was it, Pilot?"

"Renalla. It's in a region of space bordering both the Hynerian and Scarran empires.

Aeryn walked in and sat down next to John.

"Did I hear that right?" Aeryn asked.

"Yeah, it's in Rygel's neck of the woods, more or less," John answered.

"What are you thinking? Do you want to check it out?" asked Aeryn.

"To be honest, not really. Either way, it'll have to wait until after we get to Hyneria," said John.

"It would also appear," continued Pilot, "that the Scarrans and Hynerians have been in contact regarding the incident. While the Scarrans do not appear to be blaming Hyneria for this, they are trying to gather as much information as possible."

"Well, at least they all know something's going on. How much longer before we arrive, Pilot?" asked Aeryn.

"We're nearly there now," replied Pilot. "About another half an arn."

"Alright, well let's get our stuff on the transport pod and get ready for a royal Hynerian welcome," said John as he stood up and started gathering some clothing.

After a short time, John and Aeryn had gathered their things for the remaining trip to the planet and readied a spot in the transport pod for little D'Argo. Stark and Ramosh soon followed and settled in. Stark assumed the piloting of the ship as the rest took in the view from the windows.

Unsurprisingly, a good portion of Hyneria was basically green. There were a lot of swampy low lands, as well as numerous water features. It was actually a fairly large planet by John's Earth based standards, which seemed in contrast to the size of it's tiny primary inhabitants.

When they landed, they were greeted by some of the Royal Hynerian Guard. Most were larger than average Hynerians, standing about three feet tall. They had some light metal armor underneath their red, green, and gold tunics. They also carried long spears which were double the size of the guards but were thin and looked made of a very sturdy wood with hooked, metal tips. John wondered if they were actually used for defense or if they were mostly ceremonial.

The palace grounds were largely empty except for a few caretakers making some final ceremonial touches and a couple of groups of fancy dressed aliens, which were undoubtedly delegate representatives to pay homage to the recrowned Dominar.

"Rygel's got to be loving this," said John as he looked around. "Being the center of attention and all that."

"From what I've seen, he's definitely earned it," said Stark.

"I would agree," added Ramosh. "When I first arrived here over a cycle ago, it was a disaster. The poor were starving, sickness was rampant, chaos and disorder ruled the streets. Bishan only cared about himself. Rygel got things moving in the right direction fairly quickly and the results have been amazing."

Aeryn was listening to the conversation but was watching the alien delegations. How many of these species had she fought against in recent years? Her old Peacekeeper training made her suspicious and cautious. Her status as a mother watching over her child made it worse. She wanted to lay her hand on her pulse pistol but it wasn't in its holster. They had to leave their weaponry back on the transport pod as directed by Rygel's guards. She felt naked without it, as she always did. There were some things being a mother didn't change.

"Honey, you all right?" asked John as he saw Aeryn's face look more serious than it had been in a while.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Just one of those weird feelings like something's not quite right," said Aeryn.

"Well, we are on Hyneria," said John snidely, "a planet populated by short, green ..."

His comment was cut short by the Royal Guard stopping and turning to look him dead in the eyes. John was suddenly very aware of the intense stares he was receiving and just how sharp those spears were.

"... lovable, intelligent people with a great sense of humor," John finished with a wide grin and giving a double thumbs up.

The guards turned back satisfied with the revised comment and they resume the escort to the main hall of the palace. John noticed the elaborate marbled palace wondering how such a small, weak species could manage putting it all together.

"Hynerians are so small, no offense guys," John began with a small apology to the guards, "but how in the world could they possibly build something like this?"

"There is a large builder species called Grondoks in this part of the galaxy," said Stark. "Being a peaceful people, they trade their services for goods, as well as protection. They saw constructing buildings for people one quarter their size as a challenge. As you can see, they didn't quite get it down to scale."

"It does, however, make it more comfortable for larger visitor, such as ourselves," Ramosh pointed out.

They walked into the main hall and saw Rygel chatting with a couple of much larger figures. The guards brought them to a halt.

"Or Scarrans," added Aeryn to Ramosh's remark. She automatically began tensing up. "I knew something wasn't quite right."

"Aeryn, relax a little. They're probably just diplomats or else Sparky would probably already be fried frog legs," said John softly with a hand on Aeryn's arm.

Rygel saw the group and finished chatting with the Scarrans who then left. Rygel floated over in his hover throne and dismissed the guards.

"Ah, my friends, so good to see you again," said Rygel with a wide smile.

"Lookin' good, Dominar," said John.

"Hello, Rygel," said Aeryn. "How've you been?"

"Very, very busy. Especially now that I've had to add entertaining the Scarrans to my list."

"We heard you had an incident on a border world," said Stark. "Is there anything we can do?"

"No, not at the moment. Being a disputed territory, it's going to take some time to iron things out."

"We have some information that may be of some use," said Aeryn.

"We'll have Pilot send it down to you in a bit," said John.

"If you'll excuse me, everyone, I'm going to check on some old patients of mine while you catch up," said Ramosh.

"Sure thing, Ram," said John. "Comm us if you need anything."

Ramosh gave his now familiar bow with his hand to his chest and left.

"Come along this way," said Rygel. "Chiana's been dying to see you."

As they walked toward a doorway to their right, John noticed something toward the back. There was a raised throne area, assumedly where Rygel would sit during ceremonies and other official gatherings. Behind the throne, up on the wall, was what looked to be an animal skin rug, complete with head. It was then he realized it was a Hynerian. John grimaced a bit.

"Rygel, is that Bishan?" asked John as Aeryn covered the baby's eyes.

"You bet your fuzzy pink eema it is. He only gave up the throne in order to save his own hide. Oh, I saved it alright. Tacked it right to my wall," Rygel said chuckling and started the crew walking again.

"Ew, Sparky," said John.

"Trust me, he got off easy compared to what we could've done."

"I can only imagine, Rygel," said Aeryn.

Rygel led them down to a large kitchen area where various exotic foods were being prepared and laid out with all sorts of colorful flower arrangements. Chiana was tasting various items while checking them off of a list on an electronic organizer. Noranti was by a stove boiling up something and sampling it. She was heard muttering "needs more hair" before turning to meet the group. She was moving slower than normal and with a cane.

"Chiana! Noranti! You guys busy or can we bother you for a hug?" said John as they walked toward them.

"John! Aeryn!" cried out Chiana. She dropped her organizer and ran over to hug both of them. "It's about frelling time you got here!"

"Hello, Crichton. Hello, Aeryn," said Noranti as she hobbled over.

"How's my favorite space grandma? What's with the cane?" asked John as he gave Noranti a hug.

"Oh, it's just a degenerative condition that finally caught up with me," explained Noranti. "You should be so lucky to move around this well when you're almost three hundred cycles old."

"If I'm still walking around when I'm three hundred years old, it's because somebody reanimated my corpse," said John.

"Oh, that can be arranged," said Noranti smiling.

Chiana chuckled as she lightly tickled little D'Argo who let out a pleasant squeal.

"How are things coming? Are we almost ready?" asked Rygel.

"We're almost done with the food, and the entertainment is ready to go," said Chiana proudly. "I think you're going to like it."

"Let's hope so," said Rygel. "We have two thousand guests attending."

"That's an awful lot of lap dances," said Aeryn under her breath to Stark. Stark smirked and nodded gleefully.

"Well, we still have a lot of work to do. Now, shoo!" said Noranti and chased them out with her cane.

"We'll see you tomorrow at the ceremony," said Chiana as the rest of them left the kitchen.

Rygel handed the group off to one of his servants who led them to their quarters near one of the garden areas of the palace. It was very scenic and peaceful and it would normally be somewhere John could relax and unwind. He couldn't help but think about the situation at hand with the Scarran deaths.

He knew what Aeryn was thinking. The Scarrans being here made her nervous, as if she expected something to happen. He felt the same way but there were so few of them on the planet that any attack would seem so unlikely.

Then a thought occurred to him that went beyond just a slaughter. If something happened at a political event, such as a coronation, it could force the hands of everyone involved. It would be noticed.

"Pilot," John called out, "have you sent the information we had for Rygel down to him yet?"

"Yes, Commander. At his request, it was some time ago."

"Great. Can you do one more thing for me? If you happen to catch wind of any other Leviathans in the area, let me know immediately."

"Will do, Commander," said Pilot. "So far, no transmissions of any kind and no Leviathan energy signatures in the area either. Moya and I share your concern and we will notify you as soon as something is detected."

"Thank you, Pilot."

Bracca's office door buzzer sounded as he was poring over various tedious reports.

"Enter," he ordered.

"Sir, we have received word of more attacks on Scarran vessels," reported Lieutenant Thomas as he walked in. "As well as an attack against the planetary settlement of Renalla."

"A planetary settlement? He's really getting bold now."

"Who is getting bold, sir?"

Bracca looked at his inquiring lieutenant briefly. He could see that their sudden patrolling near the Scarran border worlds was eating at him without an official explanation.

"Scorpius. It appears he's gone renegade and trying to stir up things between the Peacekeepers and the Scarrans."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with that experiment he was working on, would it, sir?"

"Very perceptive, Lieutenant, but let's be sure to keep the rumors under control, shall we? We don't need this being blown out of proportion."

"Understood, sir."

"Now, recall all search patrols and set course for Renalla, maximum speed."

"Aye, sir."

Bracca watched his officer leave and then punched some controls on his console. He brought up a map of border worlds in the general area of Renalla. He wasn't familiar with that planet but he saw something familiar nearby. The Hynerian Empire was part of that sector.

Bracca remembered a recent briefing note that had mentioned something about Hyneria. He quickly searched through the archive and read the article. It detailed the official recrowning of Rygel the Sixteenth to the Hynerian throne. The note also cautioned any potential representatives to be as genial as possible in the event of the appearance of Nebari, Charrod, or Scarran delegations. Bracca's eyes widened quickly.

"Scarrans!" Bracca nearly jumped out of his chair. He knew Scorpius had the perfect opportunity to grab everyone's attention with an attack at the large political function. He hit the comms button hard.

"Lieutenant Thomas!"

"Here, sir," came a startled reply.

"Belay that last order. Set course for Hyneria, best possible speed."

"Changing course for Hyneria. Aye, sir."

In their palace quarters, Aeryn walked over to John with D'Argo in her arms.

"Come on, let's go for a walk in the gardens. It'll take your mind off things," she said to John.

"Yeah, maybe you're right. I just wish we knew more."

"I'm sure we'll find something out soon enough. We always do."

The three of them spent the rest of the day wandering the grounds and taking in the sights. At one point, they sat down in a well manicured patch of grass and played as parents and child. Little D'Argo enjoyed playing interactive games of Peek-a-boo and Find the Dragonian Fire Tiger.

At one point they spied Ramosh tending to a Hynerian gardener who evidently had a vicious thorn stuck in one of her fingers. He looked a bit tired afterwards, and after receiving a grateful kiss from the gardener, he went to a well exposed area with a lot of sunlight and sat down facing the sun. It appeared as though Ramosh started to glow softly as he sat there.

John remembered what Ramosh had said about Stellarians harnessing the sun's energy. He is literally catching some rays, John thought as he watched. John's mood had gotten drastically better after spending time with his family and also after watching Ramosh. It just gave him a good feeling that someone was taking the time to heal a battle weathered ship like Moya. One that had been through so much.

After a short while, Ramosh got up and walked over to the Crichton family that was now just laying together on the grass and resting.

"I was going to head back up to Moya to apply another treatment, if you'd like to come along," said Ramosh.

"Yes, I'd like to watch if you don't mind," said Aeryn.

"Not at all, in fact, you may assist me with one of the applications if you choose."

"I'd like that, yes," smiled Aeryn as she got up and brushed off some loose grass.

The group left the garden and headed for the transport pod. After boarding, they secured little D'Argo, who was now asleep, to his seat. They took their own seats and Ramosh fired up the engines. As they started to lift off, the comms system started to crackle. Pilot's voice was heard sporadically through the static.

"Crichton...come in...Crichton...Aeryn...Scorpius!"

"Pilot! What's going on?!" yelled John.

Suddenly just above them in the sky was a bright blast that went in all directions. The surge of modified bio energy that had erupted bathed everything in its light and radiation. It was too much for the electrical portions of the ship which started to short out the controls. Sparks flew from the controls, showering John and Ramosh.

In the Royal galley, Noranti and Chiana were finishing up their preparations for Rygel's coronation celebration. A few assistant cooks and helpers came and went as they gathered cooked items to be store until the following day. Chiana was reviewing a final inventory list and checking things off as Noranti was cooking the last of her moon pudding. In between samples, Noranti reached into a container that had a few, small, blue and red colored amphibians and licked one. She sighed pleasantly and put it back into the container.

"Hey, Wrinkles, I've been meaning to ask you, what's with the toads?" asked Chiana as she walked over to Noranti.

"What do you mean, dear?"

"Why do you keep licking them like that? Are they tasty, like a local delicacy?"

"Oh, no, no, no. Actually, they have no taste at all. They help cleanse my palate when I'm cooking," Noranti said. She looked around to see who might be within earshot. "They also have a mild hallucinagenic effect," she added softly. Chiana giggled.

"Would you like to try?" Noranti offered and held one out in her palm to her.

"That's drad but maybe tomorrow. I still need to be able to read my list," Chiana said laughing.

Noranti put the toad back in its container as Chiana resumed her inventory check through. Noranti picked up a large spoon she'd been using to stir a pot on the stove. For some reason, she began to get a bad feeling. Was it a sixth sense or just the toad hallucinogens? She wasn't sure.

Suddenly, the blast of modified starburst energy let loose from above.

"Chiana, get down!" Noranti yelled as she crouched in front of the stove.

The orange and white light bathed the room and overloaded circuits.

"What the frell is that?" yelled Chiana through the rumble echoing through the galley. She quickly ducked under a table next to her.

The stove sparked and then exploded from the overloaded circuitry. The front of the stove blew out and hit Noranti. The force knocked over a couple of the tables and sent Noranti back several feet past where Chiana had been standing.

"Noranti!" yelled Chiana. The rumbling stopped and the light receded as Chiana crawled across the debris to get to her friend. She looked bad.

"Oh, no," she whispered as she cradled Noranti's head in her hand and tears welled in her eyes.

Broken and bleeding, Noranti slowly opened her two main eyes. Her third eye, situated in her forehead, had turned a black color. She struggled to speak.

"Child, do not weep for me, for I finally go to see the Divine Eternal. Say goodbye to our friends for me. I love you all." Noranti breathed her last breath and was still.

Chiana wept as she rocked back and forth holding Noranti. There was nothing more she could do for her friend.

"We've lost power and navigation!" shouted Ramosh. "Brace for impact!"

The transport pod was not very high up in altitude and withstood the drop intact. However, it came down awkwardly and jostled the crew badly. John and Ramosh were bruised and were lightly burned by the sparks but were otherwise unharmed. They both unstrapped from their seats and started to check on the others.

"Aeryn!" John called as he was getting up and turning around. Aeryn had been thrown from her seat and was unconscious on the floor. It appeared she had hit her head on the floor. Little D'Argo was still strapped to his seat and looked as if he had slept through the entire incident. Ramosh checked on the child as John went to Aeryn. A look of deep concern suddenly hit Ramosh's face. The child was limp and not breathing. He immediately touched the child around the head and neck area. He closed his eyes and the child began to glow. Ramosh opened his eyes and removed his hands as the glow receded. Tears began to form in Ramosh's eyes. He then turned his attention to John and Aeryn as the child remained still.

"Come on, baby, wake up," said John as he lightly tapped Aeryn in the face.

Ramosh knelt down and touched Aeryn on the right side of her head where it had appeared to have been injured. The slight bleeding from a cut stopped and her eyes fluttered open. She took a deep breath and tried to sit up.

"Ooh, what happened?" she asked. "Is everyone all right?"

"We three will be fine," said Ramosh with a sad look in his eyes.

John and Aeryn both got a sudden chill down their spines. They helped each other up and went to D'Argo. The child was still and now cold to the touch.

"The impact broke his neck. He's gone. I'm so terribly sorry," said Ramosh.

"I can't believe this," said John starting to cry. "My boy's gone."

Aeryn stood there tight lipped, tears welling up.

"My baby," she whispered. She stood still, trying to summon her old Peacekeeper training to deal with the situation. She was failing miserably.

"Thank you, Ramosh. I'm sure you did the best you could," she said.

"We must exit the pod and get to a safer location," Ramosh pointed out.

John unstrapped D'Argo and carried him in his arms out of the pod. Outside, a crowd began to gather. Various Hynerian guards, as well as some of the alien visitors, came out to help or simply stood and watched.

John went over to an open area, knelt down, and laid his son carefully on the ground. Aeryn stood nearby and finally realized that Pilot had been trying to contact them again.

"John, Aeryn, come in please!"

"Pilot, it's Aeryn. Is everything all right up there?"

"Moya and I are fine. We saw the explosion. Is everyone all right down there?"

"We're still trying to assess the situation," Aeryn said choking up. "We'll get back to you when we know more. Can you tell us what happened?"

"It was Scorpius. He is commanding the Leviathan. We never saw him until it was too late. He used a stealth approach and jammed communications immediately. There was nothing we could do. After the attack, they went into starburst. We have a track on their last known trajectory, which leads them into a sector of Peacekeeper space."

"Thank you, Pilot. We'll contact you later."

Some Hynerian medics arrived with a hover stretcher and gently placed the body of the child onto it. John and Aeryn stood up and followed as they carried him away toward a waiting medical transport. They climbed in and were whisked away to a hospital in a trip that would ultimately prove futile.

Ramosh stood outside the damaged transport pod looking very sullen. He was there for a while as some of the crowd thinned out. Eventually, Stark and Chiana came out and found Ramosh.

"We heard what happened," said Stark. "How is everyone?"

"John, Aeryn, and I are ok but they lost their child. The impact broke his neck," explained Ramosh as he looked up from staring at nothing. "How about you?"

"Noranti's dead," said a somber Chiana. "That freaky wave that hit us shorted out the stove she was cooking with. The front exploded and she shielded me from getting hit from the debris. She saved my life."

"All the Scarrans are dead, too," said Stark. "They all dropped in their tracks just as before."

"It's little consolation that we now know who's perpetrating these atrocities," said Ramosh. "It was indeed that Scorpius fellow. I heard Pilot mention it to Aeryn."

"Scorpius? Does Crichton know? Oh, this is bad. Very, very bad," said Chiana as she started to rock back and forth nervously where she stood.

"It's as we feared. I may have to actually pray for Scorpius' soul if John get his hands on him," said Stark sounding stunned.

"What do we do now?" asked Chiana.

"We wait for Crichton and Aeryn," said Stark. "When they're ready, we find Scorpius and we end his malevolent acts any way possible."

"You mean kill him," said Chiana.

"I think Crichton would prefer 'utterly destroy'," said Stark.

Chapter Eight

That evening John and Aeryn returned hardened and somber to their quarters at the palace. They were met by Rygel, Chiana, Stark, and Ramosh. Chiana immediately went to hug the both of them.

"Sorry about Noranti, Chiana," said Aeryn. "She died a hero."

"Yeah, we heard what happened up at the hospital," said John.

"And I am so sorry for you two," said a teary eyed Chiana. "I can't believe this is happening."

"We're all very sorry," said Rygel. "If there's anything you need, anything at all, Hyneria is at your disposal."

"Thank you, Rygel. We appreciate it," said John.

"The ceremonies will be delayed until further notice," said Rygel. "We have to fix all of these electrical burn outs and I have to iron things out with the Scarrans and Peacekeepers before all Hezmana breaks loose. Now, get some rest. I'll speak with you again in the morning." Rygel floated out on his hover throne and left the others behind.

"Pilot, you still with us?" called John over the comms.

"Yes, Commander. We have heard what happened below. Moya and I are terribly sorry for your loss. We stand ready should you need us."

"Can you be ready to leave orbit tomorrow morning?" asked John.

"Certainly, Commander. We can leave as soon as you arrive."

"Pilot, were you able to obtain any more information about the attack?" inquired Aeryn.

"Aside from the similarities of the attacks, I was only able to notice one other thing. A bit of a muted signal from the other Leviathan seems to indicate her remorse for the killings, as well as a desire for help. She is not a willing participant in these activities."

"I suppose that's not much of a surprise but it's good to know," said Aeryn. "Anything else?"

"Yes, there was a coded message from Scorpius that took some time to decipher. I was going to share it with you when you were alone. It's directed specifically to Commander Crichton."

"Go ahead and relay it down here, Pilot. I've got nothing to lose," said Crichton and flipped a switch to activate a vid screen.

"Transmitting now," said Pilot.

An image of Scorpius in his newly coated body armor showed up on the video screen. Scorpius had his usual look of smug deviousness on his face to go with that hideous grin.

"Hello, Crichton. I don't know when you'll receive this message but rest assured, I'll be long gone when you do. I just wanted to personally thank you for this gift. The gift of having simply experienced knowing you and sharing some of your life. In doing so, you have helped me achieve a reachable goal of destroying the Scarrans. Despite your unwillingness to provide me with wormhole technology, which ultimately proved fruitless anyway, you have given me something much more user friendly. By using your wormhole tech as a template, I have managed to modify this Leviathan into something much more useful than a simple passenger vessel. For that, I am deeply grateful." Scorpius concluded his message with a sneer.

John was barely able to contain his rage. It was bad enough that it was Scorpius that had killed his son. He didn't even know it yet, John was sure. Scorpius was taunting him as well and it made it so much worse.

"I'm going to wipe that son of a bitch from existence!" he yelled as he pounded a counter top. He was taking this very hard.

"We're all here for you, Crichton," said Stark.

"I abhor violence but I will do anything I can to assist. He must be stopped," said Ramosh.

"We'll get that dridgenaught, Crichton," said Chiana.

"Thank you, everyone," said Aeryn. "Let's get some rest. We'll get some supplies from Rygel and meet up on Moya tomorrow morning."

Chiana, Stark, and Ramosh said "goodnight" and left for their own quarters. While the three of them managed to get some sleep, Aeryn had to use some of her old Peacekeeper discipline to get any rest whatsoever. John didn't sleep at all. Laying down on his bed, his mind was racing. He was trying very hard not to blame himself for all of this. The Scarrans dying. Noranti's death. The death of his own son. It was all in his head and on his conscience. His mind wandered recklessly. He stared off into space, not focusing on anything. Then, his old friend and child's namesake, Ka D'Argo entered the room and stood next to the bed. He held out a bottle of beer in front of John.

"You look like dren," said D'Argo as John swung his feet around and placed them on the floor. He took the beer from D'Argo. D'Argo had another one in his other hand.

"You look pretty good for a dead guy," said John. "Cheers."

John and D'Argo clinked the bottles together and took a sip.

"What are you doing here," asked John.

"As usual, you need me," the large Luxan warrior teased. "You always were the weak link, Human."

"Better than being the Missing Link, Tentacle Boy," said John. They chuckled together. "I've missed you, big guy."

"I've missed you, too. I've missed all of you, but now is not the time for reminiscing."

"You know what's going on?"

"Well, let's see. Scorpius is on the loose trying to kill Scarrans, there's a real possibility of a galaxy wide war, and you got sucked into the middle of it again. Is that about right?"

"Yup, that's the gist of it."

"How do you get yourself into these situations?"

"Just lucky I guess."

"Remind me never to go to the casino with you."

"D'Argo, what the hell do I do? How do I fix this?"

"My friend, you're believing the concept that something is broken. Things happen. You can only do what you honestly believe is best. Everything else, for good or bad, will fall into place accordingly."

"I almost destroyed the universe once," said John sheepishly.

"And I've been meaning to talk to you about that. You did what you thought was best then and it all worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Well, yeah."

"This is no different. You've suffered some losses but this," said D'Argo as he stood up from the bed and pointed at John, "is not over." He got a little more intense and loud. "You know what needs to be done. Now, cinch up those tiny human mivonks of yours and get it done!"

John shook himself awake from his dream. It was morning. Aeryn was already gone. He never noticed her getting up or leaving. He sat up and proceeded to change his clothes and find the others. He was done crying. He was focused solely on Scorpius. One way or the other, he was going to kill him, even if it meant his own death.

John met up with Rygel in the main hall. It was mostly empty except for a couple of aliens visiting and discussing recent events with each other.

"There you are. We were beginning to wonder if you'd gone catatonic," said Rygel. "Chiana, Stark, and Ramosh are loading the new transport pod for you. Food, weapons, whatever we could spare. They'll be ready soon."

"Where's Aeryn?"

"She is acquiring some additional transportation, shall we say. She'll meet you aboard Moya, she said to tell you."

"Great. Thanks for everything, Dominar. Sorry about ruining your party."

"Totally understandable. We'll keep everything on hold until you get back. Just do me a favor, will you?"

"What's that?"

"Will you please get rid of that son of a tralk once and for all?"  
"I'll do my best, Sparky," said John and left for the transport pod.

"Why do I get the feeling that won't be enough?" said Rygel to himself.

John met up with the rest of the crew, minus Aeryn, at the transport pod and helped finish loading the cargo. They took off from Hyneria and flew up to Moya. John tried not to let his gaze linger on the planet below where his son had died. Best not to think about that, he thought.

Once aboard Moya, they saw another ship in the docking bay. It was smaller, and like Aeryn's Prowler, bristled with weapons. It was unfamiliar to all of them. It was kind of short and squat looking and had a lot of external shield plating.

"What the hell is that? And where did it come from?" asked John. The ship's canopy opened and Aeryn climbed down to the floor.

"This is a Chaka class Charrod fighter. I got it from Rygel as a favor," Aeryn explained. "They salvaged it from the last time the Charrods invaded Hyneria. It's old and worn but it still works and it's the only thing they had I could fit into."

"You can fly that thing?" asked John looking the ship over. "It looks like a boulder with guns."

"I got it up here, didn't I?" said Aeryn. "Besides, it's not supposed to look pretty. It just needs to be able to hit a target."

"Hey, Pilot, are you ready to leave orbit?" asked John over the comms.

"We're ready whenever you are, Commander. Starbust is available at your command," Pilot replied.

"Give us five hundred microts to get situated and then punch it," instructed John. He then grabbed the duffle bag he had been carrying and headed for his and Aeryn's quarters.

Bracca's Command Carrier approached Hyneria under radio silence and from an unusual vector in order to avoid detection and not spook Scorpius if he was, in fact, lurking about. Chatter that came over the comm channels indicated that something had indeed recently happened and that they had missed it. Upon arrival, Bracca requested an audience with Dominar Rygel.

"Ah, Admiral, good to see you again. Are you here to help or finish the job Scorpius started?" said Rygel. At this point, Rygel wasn't sure what part Bracca played in this scenario. He assumed that at the very least Bracca was investigating or else there would be large blast craters in their cities by now.

"Dominar Rygel, the Peacekeepers offer their most sincere apologies for any casualties as well as for the disruption of your citizens' lives. We offer any aid and support that we can provide you in your time of distress," said Bracca.

"Assuming that your offer is genuine, I accept on behalf of my people. I will request, however, that your presence be limited."

"Totally understandable. If it meets your approval, we will only send medical and technical crews to assist in whatever ways are needed."

"That is acceptable."

"I'll make the arrangements."

"Bracca, let's cut the critada, shall we? What are you really doing here?"

"As you are apparently aware, Scorpius was responsible for the attack on your planet, as well as Renalla, and various other attacks against the Scarrans."

"Yes, we know. Scorpius even sent John Crichton an engraved thank you letter for unwittingly helping him out."

"Crichton was here? Hmm. Perhaps he would be willing to assist us in his capture."

Rygel started laughing hard.

"Capture him? He's going to kill him!"

Bracca looked confused.

"I don't understand. Witnessing the death of a few Scarrans and a couple of civilians is hardly," said Bracca before being interrupted.

"Crichton's son died in that attack! He's not just going to kill him! He's going to tear him limb from limb!"

"Oh, dear."

Moya, under Pilot's guidance, did starburst after starburst. After each starburst, Pilot and the crew would monitor for signs of Scorpius. Communications and ship energy signatures were checked for with long range sensors at every stop while Moya regained her strength for another starburst.

At each stop, the crew would visit local star systems for any information from the inhabitants. They spread out and tried to cover as much territory as possible without getting lost or asking the wrong questions. John wished it were as simple as asking "Hey, buddy, have you seen Scorpius come through here?" It was never that simple, though, and a lot of places were a bit more rough than others.

After a stop at a nondescript but busy commerce planet, John met the others at the transport pod at the end of a day and evening of questioning the locals. Aeryn and Stark were there waiting for the rest to join them. John came in nursing a slightly bruised face and a couple of cuts and he was a little dirty.

"What happened to you?" asked Stark. He went to a cabinet to retrieve a med kit.

"Well, I'm not quite sure really," said John as Aeryn came over with a rag to wipe his face. "Either the guy I was offering money to was offended by the amount, the type of currency, or thought maybe it was for sex. Stupid translator microbes."

Stark handed the med kit to Aeryn. She soaked a corner of the rag with a solution and dabbed at Crichton's face with it to clean the injuries.

"I think you just like picking fights with people bigger than you," teased Aeryn as John winced at a sore spot she touched.

"Now where would I ever pick up a bad habit like that?"

Ramosh entered and looked vaguely like John did. He was bruised, had a couple of cuts, and looked like someone had dragged him through the mud. He was also breathing heavily as if he'd been running.

"Not you too!" said Stark. "What happened?"

"A particularly large gentleman evidently thought I was propositioning him," said Ramosh a bit out of breath.

"Ha! See?!" said John in defense of his earlier statement.

Aeryn raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"You guys were supposed to canvass the area, not take turns propositioning the same fellow." Aeryn went to Ramosh with the med kit to which he waved her off.

"I'll be fine," Ramosh said. He sat and closed his eyes for a moment and seemed to glow slightly. His minor injuries disappeared. He went to John and placed a hand on his face. John's cuts and bruises began to fade almost immediately.

"Thanks, Ram. That's great," said John.

"My pleasure."

Chiana came bounding through the entrance looking pleased.

"Any luck, Chiana?" asked Stark.

"Who needs luck, Stark, when you've got talent?" said Chiana as she teased him with a gentle caress of his exposed jaw line.

"Yes, well it always helps when the right person does the propositioning, right guys?" said Aeryn looking in John and Ramosh's direction.

"Amen," said John and Ramosh.

"What did you find?" asked Stark.

"Nothing specifically about Scorpius, however the clerk I talked to said a few solar days ago, they loaded supplies on an oddly equipped Leviathan which was paid for with Currency Pledges."

"Peacekeeper money," said Aeryn.

"Sounds like we're headed in the right direction," said Stark.

"Great job, Chiana. Well, let's get back up to Moya so we can figure out where we're headed next," said John.

Once they were back aboard Moya, they settled in for another starburst. Before they departed, Pilot's voice came over the comms system.

"Commander Crichton," announced Pilot, "I have an incoming transmission from the Peacekeepers. It's from Admiral Bracca."

"Admiral? Looks like Mr. Smithers got a promotion while his boss is out playing Russian Roulette with the universe," said John as he was touching controls up in Command.

"This should be interesting," said Aeryn by his side.

"Go ahead, Pilot," said John.

The recorded transmission showed the newly anointed admiral in his office as he gave his message.

"Hello, John Crichton and Aeryn Sun. On behalf of the Peacekeepers, we offer our condolences on the death of your son. We are fully aware of the situation at hand and are currently in pursuit of Scorpius for his actions. We would appreciate any information you can share with us and we will gladly reciprocate to expedite his apprehension. We are hoping that you will join us in a collaborative effort to secure the peace."

"End of transmission," said Pilot.

"Thank you, Pilot," said John. "God, he sounded like a form letter."

"Well, at least we know the Peacekeepers are hunting Scorpius down, too," said Aeryn.

"This changes nothing, Aeryn," said John rigidly.

"John, if they can help us stop him, then we should consider it."

"Did you hear what he said? They were going to 'apprehend him for his actions to secure the peace.'"

"Yes, and when they do, they will likely execute him."

"No, no, no, no. This time his monkey ass is mine!" said John emphatically. He left the Command Center leaving Aeryn alone.

"Pilot," began Aeryn, "please, send a response to the admiral. 'We will contact you when we need a burial plot for Scorpius' corpse.'"

Aeryn knew John hearing this over the comms would calm him down if he felt that she was backing him up on this. She also knew that Bracca would be more inclined to ratchet up his searches and find Scorpius before John did. She wanted Scorpius eliminated just as much as John but she did not want to lose John in the process. Getting help from the Peacekeepers would be wise but she may have to do it quietly to appease John.

Chapter Nine

Scorpius surveyed the damage he caused on another remote planetoid and was pleased with what he observed. A few moments later, a communications channel chirped to life. Someone was trying to contact him, undoubtedly from the planet surface. He casually activated the switch and answered.

"How may I be of service?" he asked quite genially.

"Leviathan ship, what is the meaning of this unprovoked attack?" asked the person from the surface.

"I believe I have made my meaning perfectly clear. I intend to destroy all forms of Scarran life. To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"

"This is General Krath of the Outpost Command."

"Well, General Krath, this is Scorpius. As you can see, I possess a far superior weapon to fight the Scarrans. Now, rumor has it that there are those in the Charrod heirarchy that would pay dearly to employ such a weapon and take their rightful place as the dominant species in this sector. Contact me again on this frequency in five solar days if they wish to negotiate."

Scorpius was betting on what he said to be true being that he had no true knowledge of the Charrod heirarchy. His observation of Charrods in the past, though, would seem to indicate that there was definitely a level of resentment from being pushed around as the Scarrans' militarized lackeys. There also seemed to be some jealousy of the Scarrans' reliance on the Kalish to do technical and administrative work. The Charrods looked at the Kalish as brigthly colored button pushers that kissed the scaley hind quarters of the Scarrans and nothing more.

The comms channel was quiet for a moment and then there was a curt reply.

"Five days."

Scorpius smiled. The bait had been taken.

Over the next few days worth of starbursts and planet visiting, word finally came around of a few more attacks on Scarran fringe worlds and lightly protected spacecraft. At one point, Pilot picked up the distant energy of a Leviathan going into starburst. They were getting close.

Aeryn theorized Scorpius was using strike and retreat tactics in a random target pattern to keep from being tracked down. If they could find a place he was using as a refuge, they could ambush him there. Crichton went to Pilot's den and talked over their strategy with Pilot.

"Pilot, we're under the assumption that this Leviathan is not participating of her own will, correct?"

"Yes, Moya was able to sense that ever so briefly in our first encounter."

"Ok, if we can get close enough, is it possible for Moya to send a message to the other Leviathan without Scorpius knowing?"

"It would have to be brief but I think it can be done. What sort of message were you considering?"

"Well, if we're lucky, I figure one word should do the trick. 'Trail'."

"Yes, I think we should be able to do that. If she is able to discern its meaning, some form of bio energy would be easily picked up by Moya's sensors."

"Excellent. Let's do that if we can. Let us know if it works," said John.

The crew's luck was able to hold up as Pilot was once again able to detect the Leviathan just before it starburst away. The message was successfully sent. Now it was just a matter of waiting to find out if the Leviathan followed through.

A few more days passed with no sign of the Leviathan. Even though they knew it was still like finding a needle in a haystack, it was getting frustrating not being able to track her down. Starburst made Leviathans very hard to find, being able to effectively jump large distances through space without a trace.

They finally caught a break when Pilot caught a trace of starburst energy. It was just a residue but it was like a beacon for Moya. It went for several metras and then disappeared. Pilot sent Moya off in the same vector to see if she could pick it up again. They were able to pick up the trail twice more before it went cold.

Aeryn went to Pilot's den and approached Pilot quietly.

"Pilot, I would like you to send a message to Admiral Bracca."

"Of course, what would you like it to say?"

"I want you to detail the trail we've discovered. Tell him how he can detect it as well."

"Won't this upset Commander Crichton?"

"Commander Crichton is not going to know anything about this."

"I understand. I will send it immediately."

"Thank you, Pilot."

"Aeryn, are you still planning on killing Scorpius?"

"If it's at all possible, Pilot, yes."

"As much as Moya and I generally do not wish harm on any living beings, his death would be greatly appreciated, even by us. You have our full support. Moya and I thought you should know."

"Thank you, Pilot. We'll do the best we can."

Bracca summoned Lieutenant Thomas to his office, pleased with the transmission he recently received from Moya.

"Lieutenant, here are some sensor adjustments that need to be put into place immediately. We finally have something to work with."

"Is this correct, sir? We're looking for residual starburst energy?" asked Thomas looking at the specs.

"Yes, more specifically a residual trail from the Leviathan we're trying to track down."

"A trail, sir?"

"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it. It won't be localized to one spot as is normal for Leviathans. Meanwhile, have our course adjusted to the coordinates listed and inform me of any trail detections."

"Aye, sir."

With any luck, Bracca would make it to Scorpius before Crichton did. Scorpius' life likely depended on it.

On a hunch, the crew of Moya decided to retreat away from the area and patrol an area of space that had a large asteroid field. On the far side of it, they picked up the trail again. It wasn't actually a singular trail, though. It was more like a cluster of trails that wandered in and out of the asteroids. It would appear that Scorpius had been here numerous times and it may very well be the spot they were looking for.

They decided to find a good hiding spot and wait. If they were lucky, Scorpius hadn't broken from his pattern quite yet. They kept Moya's energy levels as low as they could to reduce detection and waited. Even though it was possible that Scorpius was already there in hiding, they decided to wait and see if he starburst back into the area.

After a day of waiting, they finally detected some movement away from the asteroid field. A Marauder sized ship, definitely not a Leviathan, and largely unidentifiable, was approaching. A scrambled message was sent from the ship to an unknown recipient. Pilot was able to unscramble it for the most part, although it was somewhat fractured. The sender was a Charrod.

"We are here," was all the Charrod said.

Suddenly, there was movement in the asteroid field. Scorpius had indeed been there all along! The Leviathan maneuvered just enough to be seen by the Charrod ship. The Charrod ship then docked inside the Leviathan. The crew watched the action unfold in the Command Center on the large viewing screen.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" asked John.

"Scorpius meeting up with the Charrods. That can't be good. Why would he do that?" asked Stark.

"Yeah, I thought the Charrods worked for the Scarrans," said Chiana.

"They do," said Aeryn, "but from what I've seen, the Charrods are basically mercenaries looking to exploit whatever they can. If Scorpius makes a deal with them to provide them with this technology, they could possibly wipe out the Scarrans from the inside out and take over that whole region of space."

"Doing all of Scorpius' dirty work for him," said John, "without a direct Peacekeeper involvement. Keeps the treaty in place."

"Do you think he planned this all along?" asked Ramosh.

"No, Scorpius is a bit devious but he likes a direct approach," said John. "I get the feeling this is his backup plan."

"Meaning the Peacekeepers actually wanted to keep the peace for once and kicked Scorpius out on his eema," said Chiana.

"Yes, the attacks were probably meant to show the Council its strengths but also acted as an advertisement to the Charrods in case the Council turned him down," said Aeryn.

"You seem so certain about this Scorpius' motives," said Ramosh.

"Well, we've had the distinct displeasure of having dealt with him the last few years," said John.

"Pardon the interruption," said Pilot, his image coming across the clamshell view screen, "but I've been able to make brief contact with the other Leviathan."

"That's great, Pilot. What can you tell us?" asked John.

"Gwenna's willing to help. We told her in as short of terms as possible that help is on the way and instructed her to turn off her external sensors."

"Perfect. Alright, folks, we probably won't get a second chance at this," said John. "Let's saddle up and head out."

John led the team, minus Aeryn, into the transport pod while Aeryn boarded the old Charrod fighter to provide escort protection.

John armed himself with a pulse pistol and a rifle. Chiana elected to bring just a pulse pistol while both Ramosh and Stark brought pulse rifles.

"You know how to operate that thing?" John asked Ramosh as John strapped his gun holster to his leg.

"Although I abhor violence, one still needs to defend one's self if needed. I learned with something similar in my youth," said Ramosh. He looked uncomfortable handing the weapon but not unfamiliar.

"Commander," spoke Pilot over the comms, "the Leviathan has indicated the sensors are now off but she's struggling with her Pilot to keep it undetected. You'd better hurry."

"You get that, Aeryn?" called John.

"Yes, it's now or never," replied Aeryn from the fighter.

"Ok, Stark, let's go."

Stark fired up the engine and they left Moya with Aeryn leading the way. They got about halfway when Pilot's voice came over the comms again.

"I'm sorry, Commander, but the Leviathan couldn't hide it any longer. The Pilot is fighting her for control and the sensors have been reactivated. You are no longer hidden."

"Ok, Aeryn, it's up to you. Keep 'em off our tail."

The Charrods, led by General Krath, landed in the docking bay and were greeted by Scorpius. One Charrod stayed behind on the ship they arrived in, as directed by Krath. He would not leave his ship unattended in foreign space.

"Gentlemen, welcome aboard," announced Scorpius. "If you would be so kind as to follow me to the Command Center, we can get started."

Krath removed his battle helmet as Sorpius waited. He was unremarkable in looks for the typically ghoulish looking creatures but he was significantly taller than the others.

Krath grunted an acknowledgement and led the small group of four armed men in their traditional battle gear behind Scorpius. They reached the Command Center shortly and Scorpius started to load up his presentation.

"Let's get this started, Scorpius," said an impatient Krath. "I am not fond of being so far out in unprotected space."

"It will be just a moment. These files are quite detailed," said Scorpius. He was stalling as he observed the Charrods. "You seem anxious to acquire such a powerful weapon for a chance to," he paused ever so briefly, "to overtake the Scarran empire." He glanced up at athe Charrods as he finished his statement.

"Of course! Who wouldn't be?" said Krath.

Scorpius noted that the Charrods' energy signatures did not change albeit one did waver slightly. So, they were there for the right reason and not for greed to sell it to another buyer. This was good, Scorpius thought, although the one Charrod could possibly benefit from a pulse blast to the head. Scorpius smiled and resumed bringing up the information to be displayed.

"Scorpius," Pilot said over the comms, "I am detecting an additional two spacecraft heading on an intercept course."

Scorpius turned and looked at the Charrods, his pleasant demeanor fading.

"We were NOT followed!" said Krath loudly.

"Pilot, can you identify the crafts?" asked Scorpius.

"One is a transport pod and the other appears to be a small Charrod ship of some kind."

"We were NOT followed!" said Krath even louder.

"I would beg to differ, General, but at the moment, it is pointless," said Scorpius. He sounded irritated.

"I am now also picking up a signal from a Leviathan in the direction that the two ships originated," informed Pilot.

"A Leviathan? Are you sure?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes, quite sure now."

Scorpius shook his head and laughed softly.

"General, I advise you to dispatch your ship immediately and destroy these intruders."

Krath was upset by the sudden turn of events. He hated being on the short end of a surprise attack.

"Koth!" Krath yelled into his comms device. "Deploy and destroy the approaching spacecrafts!"

Koth, inside the Charrod ship, was ready to take off immediately. He quickly piloted out of the docking bay and swung around to see his new prey. He saw the antiquated ship escoring the transport pod and let out a laugh. This would be easy, almost not worth reporting. A kill was a kill, though, and it would be something to joke about at the bar later.

"Here comes company now. Got you covered," said Aeryn as the other Charrod ship came flying out of the Leviathan. Aeryn flew into the path of the Charrod's ship to get their attention.

The Charrod ship immediately chased after Aeryn and started firing their ship's guns. Aeryn evasively rolled and tried to circle around for a passing shot. After a couple of passes, they traded a few shots with Aeryn struggling with the targeting system that kept blinking in and out.

"Come on you stinking piece of dren!" she said and gritted her teeth as she fired the ship's cannons. Missed again. She smashed her fist on the controls and the targeting system finally locked on.

Aeryn and the other Charrod ship finally came around head to head. She did a banking maneuver and fired at the same time as the Charrod. Aeryn's shot hit a major weapons system which tore the ship apart. The Charrod's, in turn, hit Aeryn's engines but the ship remained intact.

She was dead in space but drifting towards the Leviathan Gwenna. The transport pod was nowhere to be seen but appeared to have made it aboard. She waited for the docking web from Gwenna to come out and snag her ship to tow inside but it did not materialize.

"You guys make it in all right?" she called out.

"Yes, we're in," answered Stark. "How are you? We felt an explosion from inside."

"The Charrod ship is destroyed, however, this one is inoperable. I took a hit to the engines."

"At least you're ok," said John.

"Yes, but unfortunately the Pilot is not deploying the docking web so you are on your own unless I find another way to get to you. Otherwise, I may have to try to get back to Moya."

"Understood," said John. "Do what you have to, just be safe. See you soon."

"Same here," she said.

John sighed. "Well, we're down a gunman, or in Aeryn's case about three."

Aboard Bracca's Command Carrier, Lieutenant Thomas excitedly entered Bracca's office with news. For some reason, he knew something was about to go down. He just wasn't sure what.

"Sir! We've picked up a residue trail. If you'll check your monitor, you can see it clearly with the sensor readings, just as you said."

Bracca flipped on his monitor and brought up the sensor readings. He adjusted for sensitivity and distance to see how far it went. At the extreme range, he noticed other faint trails intersecting with an asteroid field.

"Excellent, Lieutenant. We may have just found where he's been hiding. Make our way around to the densest residue deposit. I'll be on the bridge shortly."

In the Command Center, Scorpius and the Charrods watched the two Charrod ships battle briefly before they disappeared from viewing range. They, too, felt the external explosion.

"Pilot, what's our status?" asked Scorpius.

"The larger Charrod ship has been destroyed," began Pilot.

"What?! Impossible!" said General Krath. Scorpius quieted him with a look.

"Continue, Pilot," said Scorpius calmly.

"The unidentified transport pod has landed in bay one while the fighter ship has been disabled and is currently floating adrift."

"Can you identify the occupants?" asked Scorpius needlessly.

"The fighter pilot is clearly Sebacean. The pod occupants consist of a Nebari, a Banek, what appears to be a Sebacean, and an unidentified species."

Scorpius knew immediately who had come calling. His message to Crichton had not been meant to draw him into a confrontation but maybe subconsciously he desired it. It was such an added bonus to kill an old foe. He must not lose focus, however, as Crichton still posed a threat to his plans and he would have to be eliminated before he had a chance to ruin everything, as Crichton so often seemed to do.

"It would appear Crichton has made a new friend," Scorpius mused.

"You know these invaders?" asked Krath.

"They are old acquaintances, shall we say, and unless I miss my guess, they are here to disrupt our business arrangement," said Scorpius. "Therefore, I suggest we greet them with the appropriate respect they deserve," he finished as he reached for his pulse pistol.

General Krath grinned and growled simultaneously.

"Pilot, are they still in the docking bay?" asked Scorpius.

"Yes, they are still there but they appear to be heading out now."

"Send every available DRD to block their position and have them open fire. Let's see if we can soften them up a bit. Also, deploy the docking web on the fighter but do not let it dock. Keep it outside Gwenna. That should keep the assumed Officer Sun busy."

"As you command."

"Now, all hands to the landing bay. Execute on sight. We have no need for prisoners," said Scorpius to the Charrods.

"Go!" shouted Krath. They all started trotting down the hall. "No mercy! Destroy them all!"

Scorpius started jogging down the hall behind them. He started to realize that plans A and B may have both failed and he may have to come up with a plan C. He growled angrily and picked up his speed running.

Chapter Ten

Pilot dispatched the Diagnostic Repair Drones and they quickly gathered in number around the main entrance to the docking bay. The docking web was also deployed and the old Charrod fighter was soon in tow along side of Gwenna.

"Well, that's different," said Aeryn. "It looks like I'm not getting an invitation. So, as John would say, I'm just going to have to crash their little party."

Aeryn took advantage of the fact that her ship was close to the Leviathan. She checked her gear and then opened the ship's canopy to space. She spied an external portal on the side of the Leviathan and made a calculated jump for it, launching herself off of the side of the fighter.

She glided for what seemed an eternity through the void until she contacted Gwenna's side with a small thud. She grasped the portal handle and turned it until the seal released. She forced her way in through the air rushing out and closed the portal behind her. She removed her helmet and then took off her outer flight suit. She grabbed her pulse pistol and started running softly down a hallway that she hoped would eventually lead to the others.

"Alright, we should head up to Pilot and see if we can get him to help or at least convince him we're on his side," said John as they exited the transport pod.

"Do you think he means to harm us?" asked Ramosh.

"Not intentionally," said Crichton, "but it'll hurt just the same if he does."

"I don't think he's ready to be friends just yet," said Chiana. "DRDs incoming," she continued and pointed towards the entrance.

"How many?" asked Stark.

"All of them, from the looks of it," she said and started to find a spot to hide behind.

"Take cover!" said John and the rest scrambled into positions around the transport pod. "Chiana, keep those beautiful eyes of yours on the perimeter. Let us know of any strays. Stark, Ram, let's keep that entrance bottled up. Don't give them a chance to surround us!"

The first several DRDs made it inside the doorway and immediately started firing. Their shots caused sparks to fly off the transport pod and surrounding walls. They packed a decent amount of firepower for such little button-shaped machines but they were not designed specifically for battle and were easily defeatable. At times, a single pulse blast could take out a couple at a time. John and company engaged them with an initial salvo that slowed down as the DRD's began to pile up and it was harder for them to get through.

"How many more, Chiana?" John yelled though the noise.

"They're still coming but now they're trying to find another way around!" she yelled back.

"Just felling great," John swore.

"John, if I can get up to Pilot using the ventilation shaft, I may be able to calm him down and stop the assault," suggested Ramosh.

John mulled the suggestion over for a moment. If they ran out of ammo before they even confronted Scorpius, the resulting battle would end decisively against them. He needed to get things evened out.

"Go for it. Watch your six, though. Scorpius is still out there with his Charrod entourage and some of these little guys may still try to track you down."

Ramosh waited for a break in the action and then bolted for the nearest shaft. Chiana glanced in his direction looking for energy signatures of any kind that her eyes could pick up.

"All clear, Ramosh! Go for it!" she said.

Ramosh got in and closed the grate behind him. He had no trouble seeing in dark areas and was able to crawl quickly through the duct work. His familiarity with Leviathans definitely paid off as he was able to make educated guesses as to which way to turn.

He travelled far enough away that he could exit the shaft and return to travelling the passageways. Ramosh started down the hallway and up a stairwell.

Chiana, using her unique visual ability from her recently replaced eyes, was able to track and destroy the DRDs that approached from hidden vents and passageways while Crichton and Stark continued to defend their position at the front of the bay. She noticed some larger energy signatures from bodies coming toward the entrance.

"We got more company!" she called out.

"Scorpius?" asked John.

"Yeah, and he brought five friends with him," she replied.

The Charrods lined the doorway and added firepower to the remaining DRDs. They had to kick several out of the way that were inoperable. The rest of the entrance way was littered with them.

Scorpius arrived at the docking bay and surveyed the situation briefly before joining the fray. Once he entered, he was immediately greeted by pulse blasts from Crichton. As he took cover, Scorpius could see the anger in John's face. He knew that emotion could give way to making errors. He would look for his opportunity and then devour Crichton like a ravenous animal. Until then, this scenario called for patience.

"Come on in, Scorpius! Join the fun!" yelled John. "You don't want your Charrod buddies dying alone, do ya?"

"As usual, you fail to see the gravity of your situation, John," Scorpius yelled back. "Trapped against a superior fighting force with your numbers dwindling. Even you should realize those aren't good odds."

"Well, I was always partial to a good Cinderella story and I plan on flipping this script," John yelled and fired more shots. "Besides, I need your head on a pike to scare away the roaches at home!"

Pilot called to Scorpius during the fire fight and informed him of the unidentified species that had escaped the bay and was making his way through the ship.

"I'm on my way, Pilot. Should anyone arrive, under no circumstances let them access your information stores. I will assist you shortly," directed Scorpius. He turned to the Charrod General. "Continue the assault. I will deal with the intruder personally." Scorpius turned and ran down the passage curious to see what new species was willing to die for Crichton's cause.

Ramosh made it to the Pilot's den. He could see that Pilot was alone and looked nervous. He approached slowly and calmly addressed Pilot.

"Hello, Pilot," he began and laid his weapon on the ground. "My name is Ramosh. I bear you no ill will."

"Come no closer!" Pilot exclaimed as Ramosh continued to slowly walk forward.

"I am only here to help. I can see you are in great distress."

"Please, I do not wish to harm you!"

"And I wish not to harm you, only to ease your mind," Ramosh said as he got close enough to slowly move his hand toward Pilot's claw hand.

Pilot looked at the softness in Ramosh's eyes and his hesitance disappeared. As Ramosh touched him, he felt a tingle that seemed to go down every limb. His eyes closed and he was at complete peace. His anguish was inexplicably gone.

"Is that better?" asked Ramosh softly. Pilot nodded almost sleepily. "Can you do me a favor and turn off the DRDs for a moment?"

"Yes, of course," said Pilot and touched a control on his panel. Pilot looked at Ramosh curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, just what sort of species are you?"

"He's a Stellarian. A species I haven't seen in many cycles," announced Scorpius. Both Pilot and Ramosh turned to see Scorpius standing nearby.

Scorpius approached with his pulse pistol in hand and kicked Ramosh's weapon down to the cavern below the walkways.

"Now, if you would be so kind as to step away from my Pilot," requested Scorpius.

"You are Scorpius, I presume," said Ramosh as he slowly stepped to the side.

"Correct," said Scorpius as he moved forward, "but you must forgive me as I don't have time for idle chit chat." Scorpius raised his weapon and fired once at Ramosh. A direct hit to his chest. Ramosh collapsed to the ground.

"Scorpius, no! Does your evil know no bounds?" exclaimed Pilot. "He was a healer. A gentle creature. I can not continue for you like this!"

"You will do exactly as I ask or you and Gwenna will surely be destroyed!" said Scorpius through gritted teeth. He stomped off and headed back to the docking bay to try to finish off Crichton and the others.

Aeryn was just approaching Pilot's den from the opposite end when she heard Scorpius' shot. She entered and ran up to Ramosh.

"Ramosh!" she called out and knelt down to check on him. He didn't look good. His eyes fluttered open and he reached out to her.

"Here. Take this. A gift," said Ramosh struggling. He grasped her arm and drained his own energy into Aeryn. She began to take on a glow as she felt as though she could burst from the excess energy. Ramosh lay back and turned ashen. He stopped breathing and was still.

"I feel for your loss, Sebacean. He was obviously a good hearted soul. I wish he hadn't died for no reason," said Pilot.

"This fight isn't over yet, Pilot. Can you help me?"

"I will do what I can. What do you need?"

"First, shut down starburst so Scorpius can't use it. Secondly, send out distress beacons on Peacekeeper frequencies directed to Admiral Bracca. The Peacekeepers want to end this almost as much as we do."

"Will they not want to put us back in a control collar? Gwenna will not stand for it. She'd rather die first."

"I will do all I can to keep that from happening again."

"What is your name, Sebacean?"

"Aeryn Sun."

"We will do as you ask, Aeryn Sun."

"Thank you, Pilot," said Aeryn as she smiled. She started running down the corridor at a speed much greater than she was accustomed.

"Sir, we're picking up a distress beacon in the vicinity of the center of the residue trail. Sensors are now showing two Leviathans, not one, in the area," said Lieutenant Thomas.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?"

"Confirmed, sir. One is definitely the source of the residue trail. There also appears to be a small Charrod ship along side of it as well as the remains of another ship."

"Well, things certainly got interesting in a hurry. Crichton is probably over there right now trying to gum up the works. Get within a clear firing range, Lieutenant. Keep weapons and sensors locked on the Leviathan with the residue trail. We can not let it go into starburst."

Aeryn made it down to the docking bay in no time. Crichton, Stark, and Chiana were only sporadically shooting back as the Charrods had moved into the area on the offensive.

Chiana apparently had taken a wound to the leg and both Stark and Crichton appeared heavily singed. Two of the Charrods lay on the floor not moving. The Charrod General was firing and barking orders at the other two and Scorpius had tried to move to the other side to get a clearer shot himself.

"I'm out," said Chiana regarding her ammunition.

"Me, too," said Stark.

"I'm about to join you," said John noting that he only had three shots left.

Aeryn ran like a flash, firing, diving, and rolling through the docking bay. In an instant, it seemed, she had eliminated all three Charrods. She was a golden outlined blur as she ran around the perimeter to chase down Scorpius.

"What the hell?" said John as he, Stark, and Chiana watched with their jaws hanging open.

Scorpius suddenly was on the defensive as Aeryn ran firing at him like a mad woman. A couple of shots glanced off his body armor as he tried to run a way and fire back at Aeryn.

John finally shut his mouth and ran toward Scorpius to close him in. Stark followed as did a hobbling Chiana.

Aeryn dodged a couple of shots and a few seconds later she had reached Scorpius. Their weapons dropped as they went hand to hand. Aeryn was a flurry of punches and kicks that staggered Scorpius. He knocked her away and was then greeted by Crichton yelling and hitting him with a piece of metal pipe that he found nearby. Scorpius knocked the improvised weapon away and shoved John down hard with a hand to the chest that sent him skidding several feet away.

Stark came from behind and tried a choke hold on Scorpius. Chiana hobbled over and tried a kick to the groin.

"This is for Noranti!" she yelled at him.

Scorpius yelled and grabbed her leg as she tried to bury it for good measure. He then flung her away and flipped Stark over onto the floor. Aeryn picked herself up and ran back for another flurry of kicks and punches. It seemed to be getting the better of Scorpius as he was crying out in pain and breathing hard.

Aeryn's glow began to noticeably fade and she started to lose all the excess energy quickly. Her glow vanished and she slowed down dramatically, almost to exhaustion. Scorpius took advantage of this and landed a couple of heavy blows which sent her down and out. Stark tried another hold around Scorpius' neck and tried to lift his mask as if trying to help Scorpius to The Other Side. The energy drain made Scorpius gasp and slow down but he recovered enough to hit Stark hard, which sent him down.

Chiana was having trouble just getting up and could not rejoin the fight. Crichton got up and saw his friends down and his wife on the floor struggling to regain consciousness. A surge of adrenaline like he had never felt before began to flood his body. A barrage of memories overwhelmed him as he saw Scorpius' tired, evil, grinning face. The Aurora Chair. The chasing. The torturing. The killing. The death of his son. It sent him over the edge.

He ran to Scorpius and started beating him senseless. He didn't care that Scorpius had Peacekeeper military training. He didn't care that he was part Scarran and much stronger than normal. He didn't care that he was wearing body armor that would absorb most blows. He didn't care that Scorpius was the most sinister being this side of Hell. He didn't care anymore and he let it all out.

"You, bastard, you killed my son!"

He knocked Scorpius down and beat him mercilessly, yelling all the while. When it was over Crichton was exhausted, tears running down his face, and breathing heavily. Scorpius' face was bloodied and he appeared unconscious.

Over the comms system, he finally heard a message coming in from Moya's Pilot.

"Commander, come in! Can you hear me?"

"I hear you, Pilot. What's going on?" John asked breathing hard.

"Admiral Bracca has arrived on his Command Carrier. He wishes to speak with you."

"Pipe him through, Pilot."

"Crichton, good to hear you're still alive," said Bracca.

"Yeah, me too. What's the situation out there?"

"I felt the urge to warn you, if that ship attempts to go into starburst, I have direct orders to destroy it, if necessary. You may wish to leave at your earliest convenience."

"Well, just give us a few microts and we'll OOF!" said Crichton as he was suddenly hit from behind. He hit the ground and saw Scorpius run off as fast as his feet would take him.

"Crichton? Crichton? Are you all right?" asked Bracca.

"Damn it! Scorpius just ran off."

"Crichton you must leave now. Scorpius will undoubtedly try to go to starburst."

"Give us a chance, Bracca!"

"You must leave! I can not guarantee your safety otherwise," said Bracca and he ended the communication. "Weapons Officer, lock weapons on target. The moment that ship tries to go to starburst, fire."

"Bracca! Bracca!" yelled Crichton to which he got no response. He saw Stark moving about slowly and ran to him to help him up.

"Stark, get the others on the transport pod and be ready to leave immediately. We have to be out of here before Scorpius puts this thing into starburst!" John ran off at top speed trying to get to Pilot's den. That would be the quickest way for Scorpius to access starburst, he reasoned.

Stark nodded and went to Aeryn. She was trying to get to her feet. Chiana was still laying on he ground. With help from Stark and Aeryn, they got her inside the transport pod.

Chapter Eleven

Scorpius ran to the Pilot's den quickly and gave Pilot the most determined look he had ever seen.

"You will give me starburst and you will do it right now!" Scorpius demanded.

"I will do no such thing, you vile beast. I had hoped they had killed you."

"Do it now or I will snap off each and every one of your arms!" said Scorpius as he stomped forward towards Pilot.

"Never!"

Over Scorpius' comms device, Scorpius heard a familiar voice call to him.

"Scorpius, this is Admiral Bracca. Stand down at once. If you attempt starburst, we will have no choice but to open fire."

"Bracca! You wouldn't dare!" Scorpius called back.

"You must surrender Scorpius. We can still save your technology. You can still achieve your goal. I sympathize with you but you must surrender now."

Scorpius roared and attempted to activate starburst himself. He started engaging switches while Pilot tried to swat him away. Scorpius grabbed one of Pilot's waving arms and snapped it in half. Pilot screamed in tremendous pain as Scorpius pressed the final controls for starburst.

Crichton made it to the doorway of the chamber just as Scorpius hit the final control. He could see Ramosh's body at Scorpius' feet as Pilot was still screaming.

"Oh, no," said John. "Stark! Get out! Go! Go!" he yelled over this comms device. It was too late.

The Command Carrier launched a salvo which hit the ship and disrupted the attempted starburst. The entire ship shook violently as it absorbed the damage. Scorpius was flung backwards and nearly fell off the ledge of the walkway.

John saw his opportunity and ran at Scorpius. He threw a tremendous shoulder block at him which sent Scorpius flying off the walkway and into the cavern below. After bouncing off of a couple of walkways on the way down, John heard the recognizable splash of a body hitting the liquid waste at the bottom. John went back to Pilot's console to check on him.

"Are you all right, Pilot?"

"I've been better," Pilot said grimacing.

"How's the ship? Are we still in one piece?"

"Many systems have been disabled including, oh no, the starburst bleed regulator."

"The what?"

"It's a direct feed from Gwenna to the storage batteries Scorpius used to fire his weapon."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that all of Gwenna's starburst energy is directly feeding into the batteries with nothing to stop it. It's going to build to overload. You need to leave as soon as possible."

"How much time have we got?"

"Approximately five hundred microts."

"Thank you, Pilot. I wish there was more I could do for you."

"What is your name, Sebacean?"

"Not Sebacean, Human. I'm John Crichton."

"Thank you, John Crichton, and good luck."

Crichton picked up Ramosh's body and carried him down the hall as quickly as he could. He would not leave him here if he could help it. Exhausted, he made it to the transport pod and Stark helped him get in with Ramosh's body. They left immediately and flew a course toward Moya.

"Did you kill Scorpius?" asked Stark.

"No, but I did the next best thing. I left him swimming in a pile of trill bat droppings on a soon-to-be-exploding ship."

"That's a good close second, I suppose," said Stark.

"Sir, there appears to be an energy overload building aboard the damaged Leviathan," said Lieutenant Thomas. "It's building to critical, sir."

"Scorpius," Bracca called out, "you must abandon ship. You are in extreme danger. You must leave now!"

Scorpius slowly climbed out of the waste liquid he landed in and walked over to the nearest console panel. He looked at the damage to the ship and let out a disgusted growl. All of this had been for nothing. The ship was about to be destroyed and he would be back to the drawing board. This was, once again, all Crichton's fault. That meddling human would die in his bare hands. First, though, he had to escape this ship. He ran for the docking bay that housed his Marauder. He got in and fired up the engine. The bay doors to space remained closed.

"Pilot, open the bay doors! Open them now!" Scorpius yelled over the comms.

"I don't think so, Scorpius. You've done enough harm for one lifetime," replied Pilot. "Good bye."

Scorpius roared. He started firing his weapons at the bay doors. Shortly, they exploded open to space.

As the starburst overload reached critical and the chain reaction started, Pilot closed his eyes.

"It was a pleasure to be joined with you, Gwenna. Now, we will finally be free."

Scorpius lifted the Marauder off and started toward the opening. A thousand thoughts tried to flood his mind at once. Escape. Crichton. Retreat. Crichton. Plan. Crichton. Pursue. Crichton. Revenge. Crichton. Attack. Crichton. Kill. Crichton. Death. Crichton.

"Crichton!" he yelled as the starburst energy from Gwenna exploded, destroying the bio mechanoid ship and all of its contents. The bright blast sent shockwaves that rocked the transport pod. Stark was able to regain control and resume heading for Moya.

"Pilot," John called out, "any signs of survivors?"

"No, Commander," said Moya's Pilot. "No life signs and no ships of any kind in the area besides ourselves and the Command Carrier."

"Crichton, are you there?" came Bracca's voice over the comms. "Did your crew make it out?"

"Yeah, Bracca, we made it," said John. He glanced behind him looking at a wounded Chiana, a semi-conscious Aeryn, and Ramosh's body. "For the most part anyway."

"I want to thank you on behalf of the Peacekeeper High Council and myself for your assistance in this matter. It will go a long way in maintaining the peace agreement. Is there anyway we can be of assistance to you?"

"Aside from maybe an escort back to Hyneria, we could use some services from your medical facilities. We've got a few casualties."

"Of course. We'll prepare a landing bay for you immediately."

Bracca switched off communications and left for his office. He sat down and quietly mourned for the death of his old mentor.

Stark changed course and headed for the Command Carrier. They notified Pilot and Moya, who then tucked in near the Carrier. They headed for Hyneria immediately while the crew recovered aboard the Peacekeeper ship.

Aeryn slept most of the time she was in the med bay. She expended more energy in her fight with Scorpius than she thought possible and her body let her know it. She was utterly exhausted and sleep was the best medicine possible in her case.

Chiana's leg wound healed nicely after some tissue regeneration. She was up and 'entertaining' in the officer's lounge in no time. Crichton and Stark had mostly superficial cuts and burns and were treated and released.

Ramosh had been taken immediately to an emergency area despite his deathly look. There were murmurs of what kind of creature this was and what was there to possibly do. As John and Stark watched with the assumption that Ramosh was dead, they saw an old physician take charge and surrounded Ramosh with several high intensity lights. After a short while, Ramosh's hand moved just enough to be noticed. He tried to speak although his eyes remained closed.

"Natural light. Must be natural," he uttered.

The doctor and his assistants immediately wheeled Ramosh to an observation deck and made a request to Bracca to approach the nearest star and position the observation deck to face it. John and Stark ran after them to see what was going on. They were only moments away from the small sun of this star system and were in position quickly.

The deck opened up to receive as much sunlight as possible with Ramosh positioned up close. A few moments later, Ramosh's gray color slowly disappeared and he began to noticeably breath again.

"Son of a frelnik! You gotta be kidding me!" exclaimed John softly.

"I knew Stellarians were remarkable but even I did not know he could do that," said Stark.

They continued to watch as the doctor patched up the wound from the shot Ramosh had taken from Scorpius. It appeared he was going to live after all. The doctor walked over to John and Stark when he was finished.

"Your friend is ridiculously lucky. If you hadn't arrived when you did or had I not been here, he would have surely died."

"Say what? How?" stammered John.

"Ask him yourself, but keep it short. He's still very weak."

John and Stark walked up to Ramosh's side and looked him over. His color was better and he was breathing regularly. His eyes opened a little bit as the two men approached.

"Forget 'Ram', I'm going to start calling you 'Lazarus'," said John with a smile.

"I do not understand the reference," said Ramosh.

"You were dead and now you're not," John said.

"Oh, I was never dead," said Ramosh weakly. "I transferred most of my remaining energy to Aeryn which left me in a severe coma-like state. I can not maintain it indefinitely, however. Without the sunlight to help me regenerate, I would have died after a short time. Now, if you'll forgive me, I must rest now." Ramosh closed his eyes and started breathing slow and deep.

"Let's let him rest. We can check on him later," said Stark.

"Yeah, I want to get back to Aeryn. I've got to ask her about that energy transference thing."

"Yes, I would like to know more about that, too. Plus, you must tell me more about this Lazarus fellow."

After they had recovered, the group returned to Moya prior to their arrival at Hyneria. They got word to Dominar Rygel that all was well and they would be returning in a couple of solar days.

Rygel was able to get the foreign dignitaries to return in time for the rescheduled coronation ceremony. The ceremony itself was brief but very well done. The entertainment that had been directed by Chiana was sensual but tasteful, much to everyone's surprise. Beautiful dancers of various species were relatively scantily clad in colorful outfits and danced to a variety of upbeat music.

It was hard for the crew of Moya to enjoy the festivities, though. Ramosh was very slowly recovering his strength and was still moving quite slowly. The rest were still mourning the loss of Neranti, with John and Aeryn still grieving for their son D'Argo as well.

After the ceremonies and celebrations were over, John and Aeryn said their goodbyes and departed aboard Moya for the Royal Planet and home. Once home, they silently unpacked their travel gear and tried to settle in. They both started to walk past their son's room and paused, looking in.

"I just don't get it," said John. "Why? Why him?" he asked softly.

"I don't know," said Aeryn. "Some people say that things like this are meant to happen sometimes. If that is true, then it would mean that he didn't die for nothing."

"With Scorpius and his Scarran destructo ray gone, everyone can relax, at least for a little while, so I guess that's something. I just wish little D was around to enjoy it with us."

"Well, he might not be around but that doesn't mean we can't have others enjoy it with us."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not ready to be done being a mother. In fact, I was just really starting to enjoy it."

"Wait. You're not..."

"What? Pregnant? No, well not yet anyway," she said with a grin.

John smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a while. It felt good. He pulled Aeryn gently to him and kissed her warmly.

"Baby, you're the greatest."

160


End file.
